FORT MYERS, Fla. — Family friends and community members who visited the memorial for the five Lee County teens killed in an overnight car crash say it is helping them grieve.
Even the tow truck driver who helped pulled the car out of the water Monday morning came back a few hours ago to pay his respects.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Five teens dead after car crashes into Fort Myers lake
“It gives me a little bit of closure,” Breanna Coleman’s cousin Victor Ayala said.
Ayala said he is been in shock ever since Breanna’s dad called him this morning.
“The first thing that went through my mind this morning when my cousin called me is, wow this can’t be happening and I could not believe it,” he said.
Just a week ago, he said they celebrated her high school graduation.
“She was very smart too, happy that she was going to go to college. Ah, it’s just hard,” he said.
And he was not the only one to leave flowers or a memento at this memorial created to honor: Breanna Coleman, Eric Cox, Jackson Eyre, Amanda Ferguson and Jesus Salinas.
“By no means was I really close with her but she definitely left her mark on me and just seeing the news just shook my heart. I just froze when I saw her picture,” Skyelind Morales said.
Morales said she is going to miss Ferguson.
Ferguson was always nice she said, and had a way to make people laugh.
“Honestly I just hope that they just think about all those sweet memories because that is all we have now,” she said.
Earlier on Monday we spoke with Andrew Cox, who is Eric’s father.
“As a parent, you don’t want your child to pass on before you and now we’re at this point,” he said. “We’re just dying over it. We’re just a victim in the process of life. Another cycle of life. We’re just in the moment now. As every other family could be, but now it’s our family.”
We are told all five teens were very close. Four of them worked together at Texas Roadhouse in Fort Myers.
“Please pray for us and pray for them,” he said.
Friends of the teens told NBC2 they are all just trying to grapple with what happened, but know their friends are watching over them.
Fort Myers Police are asking for any information about the crash that could help with their investigation.
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