Cape Coral crash victim remembered for his smile, loyalty to loved ones

CAPE CORAL, Fla. (WINK)—Friends and family are mourning the loss of a 23-year-old man who died in a single-car crash over the weekend.

The crash happened near the median along Veterans Parkway and Southwest 20th Avenue on Sunday morning. His family and friends identify him as Gio Valia.

Gio's close friend Sophia Gallina created a memorial for him. She says he was full of life and that his smile could make anyone happy.

"He was full of life. He was really special. He was just like a one of a kind type of person. He was really funny. His smile was like my most one of the favorite things I love about him. Beautiful smile," Gallina said.

She says it's hard to go home and not see his car there anymore. She says she wishes she could go back to that night and tell him to just go home.

Details are limited about the crash, but Cape Coral police said it is under investigation. Gallina wanted to emphasize one thing—safe driving.

"I would talk to him and be like just go home just go home...if I could go back and change everything and if I could do something I would tell him dont do that your about to do man just go home you have friends, you have dogs and a cat he was a really good person," Gallina said.

For his cousin Christina Webb, Gio was there for her during one of the hardest times in her life. She says when she was recovering from a traumatic brain injury, Gio was by her side, encouraging her to keep going.

"He never would fail anybody. He was always going for the party. He never stopped going, even if he did fail. Like I just said, he just kept going and going. He, he had the greatest soul. He loved soccer. He loved his family. He loved God," Webb said.

Friends and family say they will keep coming back to his memorial and won't let what happened define him.