Photo: Gofundme
Twin brothers from Rhode Island died last week after their car veered off the road on Christmas Eve.
Both men were taken to a local hospital where they were pronounced dead, police said. No other vehicles were involved in the accident.
Police are working with the Collision Analysis Reconstruction Section and Crime Scene Services Section to determine the cause of the crash, they said. The department did not immediately return PEOPLE’s inquiry for more information related to the accident.
Alberto’s longtime girlfriend, Melissa Talavera, toldThe Boston Globethat the two brothers were “very close.”
“All of us was always together,” she added. “It was always me, him, my kids, and his brother.”
Ruddy’s girlfriend, Julia Andreozzi, told WJAR that she and their son were preparing to see Ruddy later that day.
“Devastated — there’s no words,” she told the news station of the crash. “My son and I were just preparing for Christmas Eve — we were supposed to see Ruddy — which was his father later that night and I got a phone call around 12 o clock that afternoon that they had gone off the highway and hit a tree and that the accident was fatal.”
RELATED VIDEO: Teacher Killed in Crash Months After Husband Died of COVID, Leaving Behind 6-Month-Old Daughter
Talavera toldThe Boston Globethat she celebrated Christmas with Alberto early this year — and that one of her last memories was of him calling it “the best Christmas” of his life.
“That right there, that’s what hurts the most,” she told the newspaper. “That’s the last thing I remember him telling me and he must’ve told me that like three, four times.”
Talavera also remembered Alberto as “the best dad” to their 2-year-old daughter, while her mother told theGlobethat he was also an “awesome stepfather” to Talavera’s four other children.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.
AGoFundMehas been started to help the brothers' family with burial costs. As of Monday afternoon, it has raised over $3,300.
“Help us lay these two beautiful souls to rest taken too soon in a car accident,” wrote Talavera, who organized the fundraiser.
Andreozzi told WJAR that the family is doing their best to make it through the tragedy.
“This is going to be tough,” she told the news station, “but I think if we all come together we’ll find a way through it.”
source: people.com
