Childhood friend remembers Custer County Paramedic who died in crash outside of Westcliffe

WESTCLIFFE, Colo. (KRDO) - A close friend of a Custer County paramedic who died in a car crash this weekend, is sharing more about the beloved man they say that they lost far too soon.

The crash happened along highway 69 just outside of Westcliffe, which left 39-year-old Andrew Fernandez dead at the scene. Colorado State Patrol says he lost control of his vehicle before hitting a pickup truck head on. That driver was left without serious injury.

Matt Wilsen says he first met Fernandez in middle school while growing up in Sarasota, Florida, and the two of them have been inseparable, despite Wilsen continuing to live in Sunshine State to this day.

"He did everything he did skydiving, scuba diving, rock climbing, you know, skiing. These are all things that, you know, we've done together." explained Wilsen.

Wilsen says that the two were on a camping trip in West Virginia all of last week together, before the 39-year-old father flew back to Colorado on Saturday, where Wilsen unknowingly said his last goodbye.

Wilsen says he got the call from Fernandez's sister on Sunday evening while out to eat with his family, about the crash.

Sadly, Wilsen says he learned that Custer County EMS responded to the scene to find their own had passed.

"I was in complete disbelief that I was telling her that I just seen this guy less than 24 hours ago. This can't happen." explained Wilsen.

The Florida resident says Fernandez was an incredibly hard worker who could never sit still. He says that Fernandez was a lover of the outdoors, who was into every activity you could think of.

Fernandez, who was dedicated to public service, worked as a paramedic for the last 10 years, even serving as a flight medic for a period of time in the Centennial State.

"I've had a lot of people message me from from them talking about like, you know ... I've learned this from [Andrew], I've learned so much from him that, you know, he did a killer job of, you know, kind of making his mark on this world with a little bit of time that he had." said Wilsen about the reactions from those in the emergency response community in Colorado.

However, it was that dedication that led to him squeezing in a few extra shifts with Custer County EMS, between that camping trip in West Virginia and a cruise that he had planned with his wife and 2-year-old daughter, Journey, later this week.

"I spent yesterday, all day yesterday, with his dad and his brother and his sister, and his dad just said, why can't he just take some time off of work? I mean, he was just such a hard worker." said Wilsen.

Support poured in on Sunday from fellow emergency and first responder agencies in southwest Colorado on social media, reacting to the news put out by Custer County EMS.

A fundraise was also started, to support Fernandez's wife and 2-year-old baby, which has quickly reached over $16,000 dollars since it's creation just over one day ago. You can view that here.

Now, Wilsen is left to reflect on the endless examples of Fernandez's character, that now become a part of his legacy.

"He didn't, he didn't make it to 40, but he just did so much in [almost] 40 years, just because, you know, he'd... never put anything off." said Wilsen, fighting through tears. "He went out and he did it and he achieved everything he wanted. And that's what made him so amazing." he added.

Wilsen said that he was told by Custer County EMS they will be retiring Fernandez's badge number and re-naming one of their apparatus in his honor. A memorial ceremony will be held on November 2.