Christopher Arruda dreamt of driving a truck since he was a little boy.

He collected model cars, hoarded stacks of car magazines and worked in the pit crew for friends racing at Seekonk Speedway in Massachusetts.

About seven years ago, he got a job as a truck driver for D&N Equipment of Johnston.

"That really made him happy," his mother, Patricia Arruda, told The Providence Journal.

"He was great with kids and dogs," said his friend, Keith Danna, of Coventry. "He was just a good guy. He's got more friends than you can believe."

Christopher Arruda, 30, of Coventry, was talkative and generous, and often would stop on the side of the road to help people who were broken down.

"I told him, 'You're crazy in this day and age to stop,' He'd say, 'Ma, don't worry about it.' He always wanted to help," his mother said.

Even on the night he died, Arruda thought of others. His mother heard from people at The Station that her son made it out of the club, but went inside to help others escape.

"He had a sad side, too," Patricia Arruda said. "Besides driving the truck, I don't think he really ever found the happiness he wanted.

He had gone through a bad time and was just starting to act like himself."