MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Fernando Santos said his daughter Valery was the light of his world. He said his beautiful 16-year-old girl was always laughing, and he described her as outgoing and smart.
Valery and her 14-year-old friend Emily Luna died on Saturday in a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of Northwest 79th Street and Northwest 18th Avenue.
“It’s just hard for me,” the grieving father said. “I don’t even know how I am dealing with it right now.”
Surveillance video shows the girls were making a left turn from the eastbound lanes of 79th Street. A driver who was traveling westbound broadsided their car and sent it careening into the Chill & Grill Smokehouse.
“My daughter died, literally, instantly,” said Jennifer Ospina, Emily’s mother.
About five days after losing their daughters, Santos and Ospina said they are waiting for the Miami-Dade Police Department to release the results of their investigation into the crash.
“I have to get justice for my kid,” Santos said. “My whole family is going through it.”
The crash was hours before Valentine’s Day, so the girls’ family and friends delivered flowers and heart-shaped balloons in front of the restaurant where witnesses are also still dealing with the tragedy.
5 PM REPORT
CRASH LOCATION