After losing their loved one to a drunk driver, a family is urging others: don’t drink and drive

Family of crash victim shares message with others

The family of a man killed in a wrong-way crash on I-45 is urged drivers to think twice before getting behind the wheel impaired.

HOUSTON - The family of a man killed earlier this month in a wrong-way crash on Interstate 45 is trying to come to terms with the sudden loss.

Steve Nartey (provided)

The backstory:

Steve Nartey, 58, was driving home from work when he was hit and killed in a wrong-way crash by a suspected drunk driver.

It happened last week in the early morning hours of Feb. 6 near Crosstimbers.

Police say the driver, 32-year-old Monica Rosenda Valdez, has been charged with intoxicated manslaughter.

Monica Rosenda Valdez

She was taken to the hospital with injuries.

Nartey was pronounced dead at the scene.

What they're saying:

Nartey's family describes him as a supportive person who was always giving back to others.

"He has really been a family man, clearly. Even to the point that even til his very last day he had two jobs to make sure we have this over our heads," Michael Opata, Nartey's son, said. 

They're also sending a message to anyone who may consider getting behind the wheel while intoxicated.

"Even if you didn't want to care about yourself, care about your own personal family," Opata said. "How would they think about you being hospitalized or incarcerated for what you do to other people's family? Just think about yourself. Think about your family. Your friends. And also other people on the road whose life you're putting in danger, because this feeling that we're feeling right now is nothing we expected to feel."

What's next:

Nartey leaves behind three children. Two sons and a daughter.

A judge set Rosenda Valdez's bond at $100,000.

She is still currently being held in jail.