Designated driver struck, killed by car while waiting at hot dog stand

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Eddie Fuentes, 24, was struck and killed by an out of control car after attending a holiday party last weekend, police say. Fuentes, who was the designated driver that night, was struck by a car while waiting at a hot dog stand.

Eddie was the youngest and, his family said, the glue that held everyone together.

"He kissed me, and I said be careful," recalls his mother, Laticia Monarrez, "and he never came back."

Known for his humor and affection, Fuentes dressed up as Santa Claus on Sunday while out with his friends. He was their designated driver.

After making sure his friends got home safely, Fuentes stopped at his favorite hot dog joint, just a few blocks from the family's Gage Park home, to get something to eat. Outside of Chicago's Original Maxwell Street, Fuentes was killed by an out of control car. Police say 30-year-old Jason Rayford is responsible for Fuentes death.

Prosecutors say Rayford began punching his wife while she was driving the car. As she tried to defend herself with her arm, Rayford grabbed the steering wheel causing the car to crash into Fuentes.

"The only thing I ask is justice for my son," says Monarrez, "because if anyone knows my Eddie he was a good son an example of many of us

Fuentes was in his third year at Columbia College while also working in the IT Department for the company Red Box.

"He had a beautiful smile," recalls Patricia Fuentes, his sister. "He was so charismatic, he had so many dreams."

Patricia says her youngest brother would do anything for the family, including painting her nails right before her September wedding.

A black ribbon now joins Christmas decorations outside of the Fuentes home.