Murrieta man dies while saving his family from out-of-control car: 'He is a giver'

MURRIETA, Calif. (KABC) -- A community in Murrieta is rallying behind a grief-stricken family after a beloved business owner died while saving his loved ones from an out-of-control car.

Adam Bouvet died a hero laying down his life to protect the ones he loved.

"He is a giver, he is a pillar in the community, but most of all he truly loved his family," said Bouvet's longtime friend, Brad Neet.

Neet said the 50-year-old was in Dallas visiting his oldest daughter and was excited to see his grandson play football for the first time.

"They were walking down the street coming back from lunch and heard tires screeching. I have no doubt as does Tracy, his wife, that he saved her life and the family's life," said Neet.

Bouvet didn't hesitate to act as a car hopped the curb and came straight for him, his wife, two daughters and grandchild.

"He basically took Tracy and threw her out of the way and unfortunately took the brunt of the impact," he said.

Bouvet's wife suffered minor injuries and the others came away unscathed. But Bouvet suffered major injuries and died three days later on Monday.

Outside The Mill restaurant in Old Town Murrieta, which Bouvet co-owned for 17 years, are notes and flowers left by the customers who came to know him.

The community also showed their love and support by tying orange ribbons around trees, as well as a black and orange sign posted by the local elementary school to show its support for Bouvet's family. The colors represent Bouvet's favorite baseball team, the San Francisco Giants.

"You lose a best friend and you miss him forever and he leaves a hole not only in my heart, but he leaves a huge hole in the community for what he did do during his time here," said Neet.

On Friday and Saturday, The Mill will donate proceeds of its sales to Bouvet's family to help offset the cost of his untimely death. Friends are also raising money through a GoFundMe page.

"A lot of people don't have such a big impact on a community as he has, and so to see this outpouring of love is pretty amazing," Neet added.

The family is in the process of bringing Bouvet's remains back to California and planning a service.