Birthday of Teen Killed in Crash Celebrated

Friends and family celebrate Juan Zambrano's 18th birthday without him

It's a tough thing for anyone to face - the loss of a loved one or friend. But to a bunch of 18-year-old kids, it's one of those lessons in life you just do not forget.

It was a somber birthday party, to be sure. But friends were determined to make it a celebration, too, of the life of Juan Zambrano. He was looking forward to his 18th birthday today, said his heartbroken cousin Nina Goluskin.

"But, you know, in my quiet moments and his presence is always going to be around,” she said. “And I've just been feeling him all day because, like, maybe it sounds silly but like I'm not really Christian but I've been feeling him like in the wind and in the grass.

“My family, they've been taking it okay. They've been taking it really hard. But we all loved him so much.”

Up on the family’s balcony, his party went on without him; his presence felt nevertheless.

His two aunts say his mother is having the most difficult time of anyone.

"Every time she sees someone who was Juan Diego's friend,” says Patrica Escobar, “kids from his school, she feels like ‘I want to be hugging my son. I'm hugging you, hugging somebody else.’ She wants to be hugging her son. It's a tragedy. It's horrible.”

The accident happened on Alligator Alley on Sunday evening about ten miles east of Naples. Along with Zambrano, Sasha Abitante was also killed. The tire marks where the pick up truck swerved out of control are still visible on the roadway.

Nickolas Wagy, the only one wearing a seatbelt, was driving. He's okay. Brian Corbett was critically injured. Gabriel Fernandez was seriously injured. Dylan Delgado, critically injured. All six kids were on everyone's mind at the party today. Zambrano would have wanted it that way.

"It's difficult but I feel like, in a sense, everything is okay because he's still with us and he's still with me and wherever he is right now, it's okay."

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