SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The man killed in a Highway 50 crash was identified as Sacramento restauranteur Chris Jarosz.
Jarosz was known for owning Broderick Roadhouse in West Sacramento, the former Midtown location and multiple other restaurants. He was also a former head of the California Restaurant Association's Sacramento chapter.
"We were deeply saddened today to learn of Chris' passing. Chris was an exceptionally warm and friendly person, it was truly in his nature to be an easygoing, approachable, and likable guy," said Jot Condie, president and CEO of the California Restaurant Association. "He was also deeply dedicated to the Sacramento restaurant community and its workforce. He will be missed, and our thoughts are with his family and friends."
The crash happened around 2 a.m. west of 51st Street over-crossing, which is the location of an active construction zone. According to CHP, he was heading westbound on Highway 50 toward a parked construction vehicle. He drove through the cones and hit a trailer with an arrow board before hitting the back of a one-ton flatbed truck.
"He kind of like looked at me and I looked back at everybody, and I was like somebody call 911, somebody call 911," said a man who drove by moments after the crash and tried to help. "I tried to keep him breathing as much as I could."
After the tragedy, restaurant industry leaders are remembering the life of Jarosz and the legacy he left behind.
"It's a gut punch. I've known Chris for many years," said Condie. "But it's a gut punch for patrons of Broderick Restaurants and for the restaurant industry, not just in Sacramento but in California."
Condie said Jarosz started out with a food truck and went on to invest in brick and mortar restaurants. He was head of the Sacramento chapter of the California Restaurant Association from 2014-2017, and Condie said helping others was a big mission for Jarosz.
"He spent a lot of time in high school classrooms helping at risk kids in culinary arts programs, raising a lot of money for our foundation to help restaurant workers who fell on hard times. He was passionate about that," said Condie.
WATCH ALSO:
