Veteran Firefighter Struck, Killed By Suspected 2-Time Offense DUI Driver

COLTON (CBSLA.com) — A veteran firefighter was killed in a crash with an accused drunk driver as his son, who survived the crash, continues to recover.

Cyndi Lodarski, who was married to her husband Dave for 35 years, says they had just filed papers for retirement one week before he was killed by an accused DUI driver.

As Cyndi describes, the tragedy marks the second time the accused driver, Kevin Paul Diehl, has been suspected of driving under the influence.

"You just think someone so despicable made this choice, and not once but twice," Cyndi said. "This was his second DUI, and you think, how do you make that choice?"

Dave's son, Hunter, is a Colton paramedic, and was just recently released from the hospital. He was driving the car with his father when they were struck.

"I hope the guy gets what's coming to him, and everybody else out there that does it," Hunter stated. "It's inexcusable."

While CHP suggests that the vehicle the Lodarskis were riding in may not have been street legal, the stretch of Reche Canyon Road in which the Lodarskis were hit is notoriously dangerous, with accidents occurring frequently.

"You can turn onto this road without somebody crossing double-yellows, and it's just there's been numerous fatalities out here," Cyndi described. "(My husband) is an amazing man. This is the hard part, because a lot of us just live and exist, and he left an absolute legacy."

Diehl is accused of vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence.