JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Family members have identified the man killed in a crash on Jacksonville’s Westside in early March.
Gino Etienne, 23, died after being hit by a car moments after he was involved in a separate car crash.
According to his family, Gino was the guy for everything. If someone needed anything, they would call Gino.
That’s how his sister, Yvenie, is choosing to remember her baby brother — the only boy in the family.
“He was honestly the nicest and sweetest person. He would literally give you the shirt off his back to anyone,” Yvenie said. “He was really that person that you could count on, no matter who you were.”
Gino had aspirations of enlisting in the military and opening his own restaurant.
Yvenie said her brother loved fishing, animals and being outdoors. But there was something that made him unique.
“He did not care what anyone had to say. He did not care what the status quo was. He just did him. I think that is what was so special,” Yvenie said.
Etienne was killed on Chaffee Road on March 10.
According to FHP, a 61-year-old woman driving a sedan was approaching an SUV north on that road. Officials said the SUV was involved in a prior crash and was blocking the north lane of Chaffee Road.
Gino Etienne, the driver of the SUV, was outside his car when the sedan struck him. He died at the scene.
The woman was hospitalized.
Etienne’s sister Yvenie said one of the hardest parts of dealing with her brother’s death is knowing he was less than five minutes away from home at the time of the crash.
At the scene, family and friends created a memorial in his honor.
Loved ones held a vigil Saturday night at the site where Etienne lost his life.
“He saw everyone and he loved everyone,” Yvenie said. “He really was there for anybody. As long as you would let him, he was going to be there for you.”
Etienne’s funeral is scheduled for Saturday, March 30 at Cedar Creek Baptist Church on Lane Avenue — a time his family and friends said they will pay tribute to someone who was beyond special.
Gino’s family started a GoFundMe account to help pay for his funeral and support his family.