TAMPA, Fla. — For the very first time, loved ones of Joshua Montague are speaking out about the wrong-way crash that took the life of a Tampa Police officer earlier this week.
Investigators say the 25-year-old Denver man slammed into the SUV of Master Patrol Officer Jessie Madsen at around 100 miles an hour.
Both men died in the crash, leaving behind families and grieving children.
“She keeps telling me she wants to drive to heaven and see daddy,” said Montague’s former girlfriend, Sandra Bundy, of the 3-year-old daughter they shared.
“They had their own little handshake and they were just inseparable,” said Bundy. “He was a really good dad, he loved her so much.”
It’s the reason Bundy says she knows whatever happened on I-275 was a terrible accident and not anything intentional.
She said Josh left Denver and had only been in Tampa less than 12 hours, posting a video of his excitement on the beach to social media.
“I haven’t heard him that happy in a long time,” said Bundy. “He was excited and happy to be out there and just start over.”
The next morning she got the call. Not only had Josh lost his life, but a Tampa police officer was also killed in the crash.
“My deepest condolences to his wife and kids,” said Bundy. “I’m sorry for their loss. It’s hard because me and my daughter are going through it, too.”
She says adding to the anguish are hateful messages from complete strangers.
“I’ve had people tell me some awful things and I’m like, just as that officer’s family is mourning, so are we,” said Bundy. “He was loved here. He was important here. I would really wish people would back off the social media and just let them rest -- let both of them rest.”
It's still unclear exactly why Josh ended up on the wrong side of the road and how much alcohol he might have had in his system. Police did report finding bottles of beer in his hotel room and got reports from witnesses who saw him out at a bar the night of the crash. But, his family truly believes confusion and being unfamiliar with the area led to the crash, the same type we've seen all too often in the past.
“Fix the road,” said Bundy. “Fix something, because it seems to happen often. I don’t want someone else to get taken; another life lost because of that highway.”
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