MIAMI (WSVN) - The mother of Jose Fernandez paid a visit to the site where a boat crash killed her son and his two friends a year ago.
Fernandez’s mother, Maritza Fernandez, along with other family and friends gathered at the site, Monday morning.
Speaking to 7News, Fernandez’s mother spoke on how she and the others prayed, left behind flowers and released balloons into the air. “They wrote on the rocks, on the jetty,” she said. “They blew up some balloons, a couple of flowers and prayed.”
The group also spray painted messages like “We love you” and “We will never forget you” on the rocks.
Fernandez, along with 25-year-old Eduardo Rivero and 27-year-old Emilio Jesus Macias were killed on Sept. 25, 2016 when their boat crashed into a jetty.
Liliana Dela Cruz, a family friend, said that while she continues to watch baseball games, they are not the same since the incident.
“Memories at the ballpark, at the house, just simple family time together,” she said. “He was always with so much joy. He brought so much laughter and joy to our lives. He changed our lives forever.”
However, the tragedy did not come without controversy. Upon the release of the accident report after the crash, it was revealed that Fernandez had alcohol and cocaine in his system and was navigating the boat at the time of the crash.
For Fernandez’s loved ones, the pain of the loss of his life and the lives of Rivero and Macias is still very real.
“Missing him every single day, just absolutely missing him. The only ray of light that we have is his little daughter Penelope, and that’s the only ray of light that we’ve had,” Dela Cruz said. “Penelope loves you, Mom loves you, Grandma loves you and we miss you.”
A memorial has since been erected at Marlin’s Park, and the team has also retired his jersey, number 16.
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