OCALA, FL (352today.com) – Nuestra corazón está destrozada también. Translation: Our hearts are broken, too.
Those words – both written and spoken – resonated powerfully as several hundred people gathered on State Road 40 Friday evening at a memorial at the site of this week’s deadly bus crash.
It’s become a place to pay homage to the men who lost their lives, those who remain hospitalized and those who survived but are feeling the physical and emotional trauma in the aftermath of an accident that has literally destroyed hundreds of lives.
There will be vigils again Saturday and Sunday nights at 6 p.m. at the site, said Roberto Marquez, who came in from Dallas, Texas, and organized the observance. He also painted murals at the memorial site.
Prayerful messages were delivered in both Spanish and English by different clergy.
“Now is the time that the community should come together,” said Rev. Frank Knapp of Four Corners Ministry. “Unfortunately, it takes a tragic incident for the community to come together, but hopefully when people see the different ethnic groups and races coming together united as one during this tragedy that will encourage people to stay together as a community and work together as one.”
A dream of a better life was forever changed by what state troopers say was an impaired driver.
Tuesday morning a bus with 53 people was headed to what they thought would be an uneventful day, harvesting watermelons at Cannon Farms in Dunnellon. The farm workers from Mexico were unaware that a Ford Ranger driven by 41-year-old Bryan Maclean Howard would transform their lives in an unimaginable way.
The unthinkable happened. Dreams and lives shattered. Plans altered. Voices silenced. But the volume of determination and resiliency was amplified at the vigil.
|RELATED: Driver said he smoked pot oil, took medication before crash that killed 8 Mexican farm workers
“Their loved ones are out there. It’s extremely sad. They came over here to work, and now you have to bring the bodies back home,” said Jose Vasquez of Ocala. “I came to pay my respects.”
The dead have been identified as:
- Evarado Ventura Hernández, 30
- Cristian Salazar Villeda, 24
- Alfredo Tovar Sánchez, 20
- Isaías Miranda Pascal, 21
- José Heriberto Fraga Acosta, 27
- Manuel Pérez Ríos, 46
- Oscar Temoxtle-Temoxtle, 31
- Santiago Benito De Jesus, 24
The place where the eight men lost their lives has become known as the Ocala Ocho memorial.
For the families of the deceased men and those who were injured, not only have they been burdened by the distance of not being able to see their loved ones, but a loss of income and the expenses associated with future medical care creates even more difficulties.
A number of the victims are in the United States alone. Some have injuries they may never recover from as a result of the accident.
The Farmworker Association of Florida established a GoFundMe account to collect money for the victims and their families. As of Saturday morning, nearly $103,000 had been donated by more than 1,500 people. The campaign had an initial goal of $50,000.
|RELATED: Dash & body cam video provides insight into what first responders faced at the bus crash scene
“They reached out and asked if we could help to collect money for the surviving victims. They didn’t have money for medication, or for other necessities,” said Jessica Castillo who is Mexican-American. “I was born and raised in Ocala, and it was in my hands, and I decided to help. My family is originally from Mexico. I still have family in Mexico. We went and talked to the guys and let them know what we’re doing for them. I wish they could see this, that the whole community is here to help them.”
Many feel a connection to the victims. The emotional gravitas was palpable as people brought flowers and candles and placed them at the memorial, a promise that the men will not be forgotten.
“I came to pay my respects. You want to help the victims’ families because you realize it could be you,” said Jose Pastor Roque, who lives in Ocala. “You try to help one another as a community.”
That solidarity among those in attendance provided emotional support, a common understanding of the fragility of life.
“I came to pray for them and to pay my respects,” said Ocala resident Angela Gomez, who didn’t know the men. “You never know what’s going to happen in life. I’m a mom and I can’t imagine receiving a phone call saying your family member isn’t going to be coming back.”
