A close-knit Oregon community has been left stunned and grieving after a talented teenage athlete was fatally struck while training for an upcoming triathlon.
Connor Navarro, 19, was cycling near the intersection of East Main Street and Northeast Century Boulevard on the night of Tuesday, June 23, when he was allegedly hit and killed by 35-year-old Guillen Salvador-Jaime.
Salvador-Jaime was later taken into custody on accusations of second-degree manslaughter and reckless driving.
A Hillsboro police spokesperson also confirmed to KOIN 6 News on Monday night that, according to the lead investigator, “the driver’s failure to obey a traffic control device played a part in the cause of the crash.”
Relatives said Navarro had been preparing for a triathlon when his life was cut short.
Known as a devoted athlete and an engineering student with a bright academic future, Navarro had been his class valedictorian and had developed a passion for cycling.
Now, in a devastating turn no family could have imagined, his loved ones are planning his funeral instead of celebrating him at the finish line.
Charli Navarro, Connor’s mother, remembered her son as “a pillar of the family” and spoke of his deep enthusiasm for life.
Connor Navarro, 19, who tragically lost his life on June 23, after being struck by a motorist whilst on an evening bike ride in a busy Hillsboro intersection
His devastated mother Charli, sensed something was not right and found her son slumped on the pavement dead
The intersection where the boy was biking during the life-altering hit
The death comes as a devastating double loss for the family. About a year ago, Navarro’s father died after loosing a relentless battle with brain cancer.
Navarro’s mother said that he had been training for a triathlon and had gone for an evening bike ride on Tuesday night.
It was just before 9 pm when alarm bells started ringing. Sensing something was wrong she went to look for him.
Charli told KOIN about the moment her worst nightmare had become a reality.
‘I came through this way, and this street was closed here. So, I ran into the scene and asked if that was my kid. I saw him on the ground,’ she said.
Neighbor Matt Ellenger was first on the scene ‘It was a really hard situation describing the ‘sinking feeling’ as he realized he couldn’t help Navarro despite his best efforts.
Officials say speed may have been a contributing factor in the crash, although the investigation remains ongoing.
Family and friends remember Navarro as an ambitious, kind hearted teenager who’s love of sports reflected his determination and positive outlook on life.
‘I’ll miss his attitude and his friendship. He was just my best friend,’ his mother lamented.
No stranger to loss, in an unimaginable heartbreak this will be the second death the family experiences, after loosing Navarro’s father Phillip to brain cancer a year and a half ago
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Navarro is being remembered by loved ones as a ‘brilliant, hardworking, kind individual who was deeply loved by everyone who knew him’.
Navarro who is pictured with his girlfrend, had recently celebrated his nineteenth birthday in May and had only just started a externship the day prior to his death
Heartfelt tributes now line the spot where the killing took place, hoping to memorialize the boy as the community knew him
His sudden death has sent shockwaves through the Hillsboro community, with classmates, neighbors and fellow athletes expressing their condolences and sharing memories of the young man who’s life was tragically cut short pursuing the sport he loved.
A GoFundMe orchestrated by the family’s friends bore the heartfelt tribute, ‘ Connor had just celebrated his 19th birthday in May.’
‘He had just begun a new externship the day before and was excited for everything that lay ahead. He loved running, playing board games, spending time with his girlfriend, and had a remarkable ability to make everyone around him feel welcome.’
‘He should have had decades ahead of him,’ Nastassia Betcher wrote on the GoFundMe, ‘Instead, everything he had worked so hard for was taken away in a single, preventable moment.’
The tragedy has also renewed conversations about cyclist safety on Oregon roads as Navarro’s mother calls for greater awareness, saying, ‘she wants the city to do better’.
Although neighbors disclose they have witnessed dangerous driving behaviors in the specific neighborhood where the crash occurred.
Ellenger has lived in the neighborhood for more than a decade. And while he’s never trained for it, he’s sort of become a volunteer first responder, with every crash that happens behind his home.
‘My hope is that this will get people to realize there needs to be a fundamental redesign of how this stretch of road works,’ Ellenger implored.
The family has set up a GoFundMe to help assist them with funeral expenses
A vigil was conducted on Sunday following his death and the family hope to install a bench in his memory at their local park
The community hope that the incident will enforce more discussion about greater awareness on the roads and that the intersection where the death occurred will be re-evaluated for a re-design
His neighbor, Charli Navarro, is now propelling that fight to bring some sort of change to make the intersection of East Main Street and Northeast Century Boulevard safer.
The family hope to eventually erect a memorial bench in Connor’s honor at Orenco Woods Nature Park.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Hillsboro police for comment.
