A Port St. Lucie family is still in disbelief over the freak accident that claimed the life of a man on his way to work this week.
Toni Ragusa grew up with Patrick Garofola, and reconnected with him later in life.
“He was my everything… my soulmate. The most amazing man you could ever know,” Ragusa says.
But now, without her fiancé, there’s a disconnect.
“I’m crushed. My heart is broken. I feel like my whole world has just fallen apart. He was my everything and now he’s gone… for something so stupid,” says Ragusa, as she wipes away tears.
It was just before 4 a.m. Monday when the 33 year-old Garofola, a concrete finisher, pulled into a Loxahatchee driveway.
“He was going to the yard to pick up equipment to go to a job in Miami," said Ragusa.
But as he tried to get out, the truck was not properly left in park and began to roll backward.
Garofola was pulled under the vehicle.
“I think I still have the bruises on my arms from pinching myself trying to wake up from this nightmare," said Ragusa.
Ragusa’s family and friends have surrounded her with love and support. They want people to remember Garofola for his passion at work, and for the love he shared.
“He would go out of his way for Christmas gifts and birthday gifts.. everything he did for the kids," said Ragusa.
The couple has 3 step kids, and a 9-month-old baby girl.
“He actually built her room, the baby’s room, and I was so proud of him and so proud of what he did," said Ragusa.
The family has set up a link to help the family. A memorial service will be held Friday at noon at the Martin Funeral Home on Port St. Lucie Boulevard.