POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – A group of cyclists and rollerbladers met on Sunday in Pompano Beach to honor 27-year-old Aline Palla Acosta, a beloved newlywed and Jungle Smoothie Cafe employee.
Palla Acosta, who was born in Brazil, died Wednesday while rollerblading on an exercise path that runs along Northeast 10th Street.
Palla Acosta was on the phone with her mother in Brazil when 25-year-old Endail Thomas struck and killed her after losing control of his girlfriend’s car.
“Aline was a joyful young woman,” Daniela Del Ciampo wrote in a GoFundMe page to help her family. “Anyone close to her would describe her as kind-hearted and beautiful inside and out. A colorful, amusing, and passionate young woman with a future even brighter than her infectious smile.”
Riders brought flowers, candles, cards and stuffed animals and placed them next to a nearby tree. Gen Cook said he has been skating Palla Acosta’s route for years and he just couldn’t believe that she had died under such “very horrible and tragic circumstances.”
The impact split the vehicle in half.
Tom Cavanaugh didn’t know Palla Acosta, but he was compelled to participate in the Sunday event because he wants to “bring awareness to a little bit more safer driving.”
Thomas’ girlfriend, Rosie Granvil, said he had left to get the breaks in her car replaced. Granvil said he didn’t know the woman he was with during the crash, 37-year-old Melissa Gregoire.
Broward Sheriff’s Office had recently cited Thomas for speeding. Thomas and Gregoire remain hospitalized on Sunday evening.