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The investigation into the crash remains open, said Guam Police Department spokesman A.J. Balajadia. Speed and alcohol are being looked at as possible factors, he said, and investigators continued to interview witnesses yesterday.
The crash occurred at 1 a.m. Sunday along the Marine Corps Drive and Route 10A, also known as Airport Road, intersection in Tamuning.
Babauta died after he sustained massive head and other injuries. He was on his motorcycle traveling east on Marine Corps Drive, heading to Dededo, when he crashed into a BMW sedan that was turning left from Airport Road onto Marine Corps Drive.
Babauta and two other men, occupants of the BMW sedan, were taken to Guam Memorial Hospital. The two occupants of the BMW sedan suffered minor injuries and were later released from GMH.
Babauta wasn't wearing a helmet, according to police. Motorcycle and moped riders aren't required to wear helmets if they are older than 17.
'A great friend'
"When I heard about it, I was in shock," said close friend and co-worker Jenn Cachila, training manager at iConnect.
Cachila said she has known Babauta for four years, since he first started working at the company. Babauta worked for the company's billing department.
"He was just a great friend," Cachila said, describing him as a lively person who was smart and dedicated. "He had that type of personality where he just always wanted to make people laugh."
Cachila said she is worried for Babauta's girlfriend, who is expecting a child in December.
"We were all just praying for him at the hospital, we were all trying to be there for his family and girlfriend," she said.
Cachila said she saw Babauta on the respirator.
"It was very hard" to be there, she said.
Cachila said she and her fellow co-workers continue to mourn Babauta's death.
"He was like a little brother to me," added co-worker Jen Badar, who worked with Babauta in the billing department. "If you were to come into work and you needed help, he would assist you from start to finish. He wouldn't leave you hanging."
Babauta loved his motorcycle, Badar said.
"He talked about it, he got it customized a certain way just recently," Badar said.
Cachila added: "He was really excited about getting back on his bike."
"It's very sad with such a young, tender life," Cachila said, "that he had to go so soon."
SAD,...RIP.
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