Montreal’s tight-knit racing community is mourning Jimmy Rotondo, a well-known driver who was killed in a traffic accident on Thursday.
Rotondo, 28, drove a truck for a drift team, a motorsport in which drivers oversteer at high speeds to take tight turns.
He was driving northbound on Aut-13 near St. Martin Blvd when the truck ahead of him slowed down. Rotondo's vehicle rear-ended the truck and was crushed underneath it, trapping him inside. He was pronounced dead in hospital shortly thereafter.
Aside from driving, Rotondo worked as a member of a pit crew and used his truck to help tow cars to races. Friends described driving as his passion, one he hoped to turn into a full-time career.
“Yesterday I got into work, logged on to Facebook and saw somebody posted a picture of the crash saying ‘Hey, Jimmy, this looks like one of the trucks from your work. Do you know who it is?’ said Kevin Darwish, a friend of Rotondo’s. “Jimmy was often on Facebook, wasn’t answering, so right away I started to get scared a bit, started to get shivers. It’s heartbreaking.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Rotondo’s pregnant girlfriend with funeral costs and other expenses for once she gives birth.
"When I found out that was him who was involved in the accident, I said I have the means to reach a lot of people and make a difference for his girlfriend and unborn child so that's when I decided to set up the page," said Danny Geraghty of montrealracing.com. Geraghty set up the GoFundMe page but didn't know Rotondo personally.
Police are still investigating the crash. Darwish says his friend's death is a reminder of how quickly tragedy can strike.
"It's amazing how in one flash, everything is gone," he said.
