Family mourning loved one and gathering funeral funds for crash victim

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- Debris from a car accident and three single roses on this Visalia backroad mark the spot where Richard Musselman took his last breath.

"Richard was killed instantly. This is a tragedy for the entire family.. With Richard's life being taken, futures shattered, disrupted is an understatement," says Janine Murch, who is Richard's sister in law.

Richard was driving his wife home from a shift at The Olive Bar in Visalia.

He was minutes away when the unthinkable happened.

A man driving a Honda veered into the southbound lane of Road 140, near Avenue 266, and crashed head-on with Richard's Nissan.

Richard died at the scene... his wife Tess sustained major injuries..

"She can't walk, she is in absolute agony, she's home but she's not mobile, so that's rough," explains Janine.

Family says Richard and Tess had an unbreakable bond..

"They just love to be social. It was really fun being with them, they were like the fun aunt and uncle that just liked to hang out," expresses Ace Brown, Richard and Tess' niece.

Richard was 70 and full of life

"Richard used to do everything for Tess, he was the husband that did the grocery shopping, laundry, put fuel in the car, he was just that really dependable husband and now that's been ripped from Tess, she's at a loss, a terrible loss," mentions Janine.

The male driver of the Honda was arrested on suspicion of DUI, but the California Highway Patrol says it turns out the driver was under the legal limit.

But the hurt is still great for the family.

"The tragedy of it all and now the burden of losing Richard, and now there is this incredible financial burden of the funeral services," expresses Janine.

Richard and Tess were saving money for a nice dinner on their wedding anniversary later this month.

Now instead of celebrating a milestone together, Tess will have to navigate life without her husband of 27 years.

The family has set up a GoFundMe page to help with funeral expenses they say anything helps.

That link can be found here.

For news updates, follow Kassandra Gutierrez on Facebook, Xi and Instagram.