It was supposed to be a night of togetherness and laughs over a late meal for Benjamin Montalvo and his friends, who were riding their bikes to meet Benjamin’s brother after he finished work in Corona, CA. Instead, June 11, 2020, turned into a nightmare for Benjamin’s friends and family when he was hit and killed on his bike by an intoxicated driver who was continuously texting her boyfriend behind the wheel.
“My beautiful boy who was just out happily riding a bike with friends, lay in the street in a body bag,” said his mother, Kellie Montalvo. “This scene plays on repeat in my mind. It truly is a living nightmare.”
Benjamin was the youngest of Kellie and Eddie Montalvo’s four boys, a young man who had just turned 21 and loved the outdoors, camping, hiking, snowboarding and spending time with his family and friends. His nickname “BeanDip” was given to him by his brothers, who convinced him when he was little that it was his real name.
His mother describes him as someone who “always stood up for the underdog, the kid who was struggling, or being bullied, or the kid who was sitting alone.”
Adding to the pain of the Montalvos’ loss, the person who killed Benjamin didn’t stop after he hit her windshield, despite his friends’ screams and attempts to stop her. Instead, she continued to text her boyfriend as she drove home. The next morning, she drove to the shop to get her windshield fixed, then went to work. She turned herself in to police later that night, and eventually was sentenced to nine years in prison.
Tragically, the Montalvos are far from the only family grieving the loss of their loved one due to a texting driver. According to 2024 statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly ten people in the U.S. each day are killed in a vehicle crash involving a distracted driver.
The Montalvo family shares their story today with students and members of the public to help prevent them from making the mistakes that cost Benjamin his life.