Family members say Roger Godinez had a bright future, which was cut short during that deadly accident at Yosemite Avenue and Q Street in Madera on Saturday.
There were a lot of people gathered at the intersection on Sunday evening. They said Godinez was a popular and positive person. A group of riders revved their engines in honor of Godinez. Not far away, his father and brother hugged one another to cope with his loss. The 20-year-old was known for his huge smile and his love for motorcycles.
"I never heard him saying anything bad about anybody, said Carlos Godinez, the victim's cousin. "He was always being positive. It's about being positive. His life was just positive."
Carlos Godinez saw his cousin just hours before the accident. When he got the call, he refused to believe the news of his passing.
"You never want to assume the worst, and I was like it can't be Roger," said Godinez. "So I texted him, 'Hey, where are you at?'"
Madera police are now revealing a Ford F-150 truck heading eastbound was stopped at the turn light at the intersection. They say Roger Godinez was riding his motorcycle westbound on Yosemite Avenue when he was hit.
"This intersection is not controlled by a turn arrow, meaning that when the light turns green the person in the turn lane has to yield the right of way to oncoming traffic," said Madera police Sgt. Brian Esteves. "Unfortunately, when the light turned green, the driver of the Ford F-150 proceeded to go."
Godinez died at the scene.
Ritesh Patel owns a business nearby and thinks the intersection is dangerous. He told Action News that over the past three months, he's witnessed six accidents there. On Sunday, he collected signatures to try and petition city leaders to make a change.
"Because of the non-yielding arrow that's over here, so I am doing a petition today to round up our citizens of Madera to have the city change the light," said Patel.
Investigators say drugs and alcohol aren't believed to be factors in the crash. Now it's up to the district attorney's office to decide if any charges will be filed.
