Driver in Wrong-Way Wreck Arrested: FHP

Kayla Mendoza was arrested Monday, officials said.

A young woman involved in a fatal wrong-way wreck has been arrested, officials said Monday.

Kayla Mendoza, 20-years-old at the time of the crash, was arrested in the Nov. 17th crash that killed Marisa Catronio and Kaitlyn Ferrante, both 21, confirmed the Florida Highway Patrol.

Both Catronio and Ferrante's parents were at the Broward County Jail when Mendoza arrived to be processed. Mendoza covered her face as authorities wheeled her to the jail on a stretcher, as injuries from the crash have left her in a wheelchair.

"I wish she could have seen our faces. I really wish I could have seen hers," mother Christine Ferrante said. "I want her to see the pain that she's put my family through. I want her to see and know what she did."

The parents took photos of Mendoza being arrested, recording a moment of justice for their daughters, they said.

"She made a very bad choice to get behind the wheel of that car that night," father Gary Catronio said. "That was very careless to do that. She has changed the family of this life forever."

Mendoza had a blood alcohol level of .15, almost twice Florida's legal limit of .08, in the first sample taken after the crash, according to an FHP search warrant. A second sample, taken approximately two and a half hours after the crash, showed Mendoza had a blood alcohol level of .10, the warrant said.

According to the FHP, Mendoza was driving the wrong way on the Sawgrass Expressway in a 2004 Hyundai Sonata when she struck Ferrante's 2012 Toyota Camry.

Catronio was pronounced dead at the scene, while Ferrante, her best friend died at the hospital days later.

Mendoza was also injured and was taken to Broward Health North Hospital with serious injuries.

According to the warrant, Mendoza had been drinking at a Coral Springs bar the night of the crash. A Twitter account believed to be associated with Mendoza posted "2 drunk 2 care" hours before the crash, the warrant said.

The families of Catronio and Ferrante filed a joint lawsuit in December against Mendoza and the owner of the car she was driving at the time of the crash.

Mendoza is being held without bond at the North Broward Bureau on charges of DUI manslaughter,  vehicular homicide and driving with a suspended license. It is unclear if she has an attorney.

Stay with NBC6.com for updates on this developing story.

Contact Us