The family of a teen girl killed over 12 years ago in a car crash in Hialeah that claimed two other lives joined Miami-Dade County commissioners at a dedication of a street named in her honor Friday.
"Mayra Capote Street" was unveiled at the intersection of West 12th Avenue and 68th Street in honor of the 14-year-old who was killed in the September 8, 1999 crash.
Capote and two other students from Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School, Willie Moreira and Brian Barreto, were killed near the intersection as they hurried back to school after an off-campus lunch break.
In the wake of the deaths, the Miami-Dade School Board phased out off-campus lunch breaks.
Mayra Capote, the teen's mother, said she still wants to see the policy enacted across the state.
"Her death was not in vain," said Capote, who visits schools and shares her daughter's story, trying to prevent "another tragedy like mine."
Classmate Zachary Martinez, who also attended Friday's ceremony, said he still remembers the day his friend died.
"It was surreal... the worst feeling in the world," recalled Martinez, who has Capote's name tattooed on his arm. "One of the saddest days of my life."
