November 10, 2003|By Vicky Agnew Staff Writer
Frank Castro said Saturday was the best day of his life. It was homecoming weekend, he had a pretty girlfriend, a new job and the feeling that life was good. For a boy his age, he had a lot figured out.
But just a few hours after dressing in a sharp white suit and holding his girlfriend close for a special photo, Castro was dead, the second Broward teen to die this weekend after attending a homecoming dance.
"He was a wonderful son, a wonderful friend. I guess it's the time he's got to go," said a tearful Maria Castro, the boy's mother. "I hope he's in a good place now."
Pembroke Pines police said Sunday the 1995 Saturn Castro was driving collided with a 2001 Ford F-150 pickup about 2:15 a.m. Sunday at Pines Boulevard and 72nd Avenue. Castro had been headed south on southwest 72nd and crossing Pines Boulevard when he collided with the pickup, which was westbound on Pines Boulevard, Pembroke Pines Police Capt. Keith Palant said.
Castro died at the scene. Also in his car was his girlfriend's stepfather, Juvenal Mercado, 33, of Hollywood. Mercado was in intensive care Sunday in Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood.
The driver of the truck, Minh Hong Tran, 29, of Delray Beach, and his passenger, Troy Goddard, 30, of Boca Raton, were not seriously injured. No one has been charged.
Also killed this weekend in a separate accident was Joredalvi Fernandez, 17, a Northeast High student. He and his girlfriend, Liani Toro-Velez, 17, had just left their homecoming dance about 2:40 a.m. Saturday when Fernandez lost control of the car and collided with another vehicle. Toro-Velez suffered serious injuries and was hospitalized.
Castro's sister, Laura Castro, 15, said she and some friends were out after 2 a.m. helping another friend with car trouble in Pembroke Pines. They passed her brother's accident scene three times.
"We didn't know it was him," Laura Castro said, wiping away tears. "We'd just been talking about him."
Castro, 17, a McArthur High senior, had a large circle of friends. A solemn crowd gathered Sunday on Flagler Street in Hollywood, where the teen lived with his mother and sister.
"He was actually a big brother to all of us," his sister said. He was the only boy in a family of sisters and nieces. "He always tried to be the father more than the boy."
Saturday was Castro's first day of work at a Subway restaurant. Afterward, he got dressed, took a big bunch of fresh flowers to his girlfriend, Vanessa Figueroa, 17, and escorted her to their homecoming dance. Later, Castro drove her around in his mother's Saturn visiting all of their special places and planning their future.
"He told me it was the best day of his life. He said it was because of me," Figueroa said.
The couple returned to Figueroa's home about 1 a.m. to watch movies. Castro decided to go out for snacks, and Mercado accompanied him. Figueroa said she grew worried when they didn't return but fell asleep on the sofa about 4 a.m. She awoke two hours later and began making a list of hospitals to call. Not long after, she learned the news.
"He was my love, he was my homey he was my diary," she said softly. The big-bloomed flowers stood tall in a vase in her dining room.
Figueroa said neither she nor Castro drank alcohol Saturday night. She's a strict Pentecostal and he's health conscious and didn't drink, she said.
Castro was planning to attend Broward Community College for two years in hopes of being accepted into the Air Force.
