MIAMI (WSVN) - A family said their final farewells as they laid a loved one to rest after a man was tragically killed in a boat crash in Miami.
The man was riding a personal watercraft, when he crashed into a boat. Despite being rushed to the hospital, he would not survive.
“He was my little brother. We have been through a lot together, me and him,” said Valerie Travi, the victim’s sister. “It was just, he completed me. He was my other half.”
Valerie and Matthew Travi had a bond that went beyond brother and sister, they were best friends.
“My parents were deported, and at 15, they sent us here,” said Travi.
After her parents in Colombia sent them back to the U.S. for their safety, the pair learned to depend on each other. They only had each other.
“It made us really close. It was a really– like really very bonded,” said Travi.
On July 4, that bond was tragically broken after 20-year-old Matthew, who was working for a water sports rental company, was involved in a crash with a boat. It happened that evening, just north of the Venetian Causeway. He was rushed to Ryder Trauma Center, where he later died.
“I mean, I know I’m never going to see him again,” said Travi.
The family said their final goodbyes Monday.
“My brother was very special,” said Travi. “He was a really good kid, and he just worked and worked and worked for his wife and the baby.”
Matthew leaves behind a wife and 2-year-old son, not to mention a sister who said part of her heart is missing.
“We had something so big just because of everything that we’ve been through. He had me, and me and I had him. We were like connected to each other. It was really special,” said Travi.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Anyone interested in helping with Matthew’s funeral expenses and for the little boy Matthew leaves behind, click here.
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