ODESSA, Texas — Alex Bingham, 25, of Odessa, died Wednesday morning after being struck by a drunk driver outside his home early Sunday. His family is grappling with the loss of a loving husband, father and protector.
On Sunday morning, Bingham's wife, Faith Dominguez, was the first to discover him following the crash.
"She walked around the corner, calling his name, ‘Alex, are you OK?’” her mother, Yvette Hernandez, recounted. “She found her phone on the ground, flashlight on, and when she got closer, he was there, unresponsive. She was screaming for help, but no one came out.”
Hernandez said her daughter called her to come quick and when she arrived, "my heart sank because when [the ambulance] drove off, they didn't turn on their sirens for almost three to four minutes, so that made me think he was already gone."
For the next three days, the entire family would wait by Bingham's hospital bed as he underwent multiple tests and emergency surgeries. Doctors confirmed he had multiple severe injuries.
On Wednesday, doctors informed the family that Bingham had died.
“It’s not fair,” were the only words Desirea Brito, Bingham's aunt-in-law, could say in that moment. “He was a beautiful soul, gone too soon.”
In the wake of the tragedy, Dominguez’s family gathered at their Odessa home to offer support.
“She found one of the good ones,” Brito said. “He made her feel safe, supported her, and loved her. Not only did he do that for her, but he was an amazing father. Now that’s been taken from them.”
Bingham's family described him as a man who would do anything to protect his loved ones. That is exactly what he did until his last breath.
“He came [outside] to do what a man was supposed to do and protect his family," Hernandez stated. "[Faith] heard a noise, she was scared. He wanted to make sure his family was safe. Now, just for doing that, he’s gone,”
Hernandez expressed the profound pain of trying to support her grieving daughter.
“He took such good care of her, she lacked for nothing, he was a blessing in her life," Hernandez said. "Now, all I can do is respect her space, but I would trade my place with her in a heartbeat, because she doesn't deserve what she's going through. My grandbabies don't deserve to be without a dad over something that was senseless."
Bingham had many plans for his family’s future—a new job, a new home—but now his family is facing a future without him.
"If these people had humanity, they they wouldn’t have done what they did and then they wouldn’t have drove off and left him here," Hernandez said. "They wouldn’t have left her out here crying by herself screaming for help. She wouldn't have to endure any of this if they would have just made some wiser choices.”
Now, Bingham’s family holds onto the memories of a man who loved and protected them, and they have faith in what's to come.
Hernandez explained that, "ultimately, I just have to say, 'You know what God, you're in control and I have to trust that you're in control and we will get justice for Alex."