By:Jerry Burke
The walls of the chapel were decorated with posters made by friends of the teenage victims, giving members of the H. Frank Carey High School community and the Elmont Youth Soccer League the opportunity to say one last goodbye to their friends.
"This is a terrible tragedy," said James Soviero, director of the Elmont Funeral Home. "Imagine if your child had a fatal accident. You never fully recover from it."
Hernandez and Bravo, dressed in their Elmont Rangers jerseys, were sent to their native Mexico for burial, flown to the airport in Guadalajara Tuesday morning, said Soviero. From there they were to be taken to their tiny hometown of Romero de Guzman, near the city of Zamora in southwestern Mexico.
The families of both boys work in the tight-knit community of immigrant horse handlers at Belmont Racetrack. Neither was immediately available for comment, although a friend of the family outside the Hernandez's apartment in Elmont said they were "beside themselves" with grief.
Plans to help the families cover the funeral expenses, estimated at $16,000, are already in motion. County Executive Tom Suozzi helped make arrangements to assure the boys were returned home in a timely manner, contacting local business owners and donating his own money to the cause. "Mr. Suozzi was very saddened by the tragedy," said spokesman Ian Siegel. "He met personally with the families and made every county agency available to help address their needs."
The flags at all of the schools in the Sewanhaka Central High School District were at half staff last week for the boys, both of whom were recent additions to the district, part of the district's English as a Second Language program.
At a press conference Wednesday, Dr. George Goldstein, Sewanhaka superintendent, announced that the district would help pay for the funeral expenses. Each of the district's five student governments has set a goal of $500, and the faculties of each school will have their own collections.
"The loss of these beautiful children is beyond anything we can express," said Goldstein, asking that the media respect the privacy of students while they are on school property.
In addition, Goldstein announced that a general fund for the expenses will be set up at Carey. Contributions can be sent to Ms. Patricia Pugni, Head Secretary, H. Frank Carey High School, 230 Poppy Ave., Franklin Square, NY 11010.
The horrific scene
The two star players for the Elmont Rangers were killed on the afternoon of April 20, when, police say, 82-year-old Vernon Ketcher, of Elmont, drove his Jeep into a Oldsmobile Silhouette minivan carrying five members of the soccer team and their coach. Ketcher and Hernandez were killed instantly; Bravo was transported to Franklin Hospital Medical Center and pronounced dead soon thereafter.
The driver of the minivan, John Singh of Hollis, and his 12-year-old son, Ryan, who was sitting in the passenger seat, were transported to South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside in stable condition. Singh has been released, and his son is in good condition at South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside, along with 12-year-old Eduardo Luna, who suffered a broken leg. Another boy, Juan Lopez, 11, was treated and released from Nassau University Medical Center.
A third car involved in the accident, a Chevrolet Blazer carrying a West Hempstead woman and her 5-year-old daughter, had stopped at the traffic light at the intersection of Hill Avenue and Hempstead Turnpike, with Singh's minivan stopped behind them, at 4:55 p.m.
Police say Ketcher was traveling eastbound toward the intersection. According to Detective Lt. Kevin Smith of the Nassau County Police Public Information Office, witnesses observed Ketcher "driving at about 50 to 60 miles an hour and weaving in and out of traffic before reaching the intersection."
Smith initially said that Ketcher might have fallen ill. But test revealed that he had a blood alcohol content of .17, more than twice the legal limit. The Jeep violently struck the minivan and then the Blazer in front of it. The occupants of the Blazer, Cynthia Aponte and her daughter, were treated at the scene.
The Elmont and Franklin Square Fire Departments as well as Nassau County police responded to the scene, and had to saw off the minivan's roof in order to get to the four boys trapped inside.
Police say Ketcher had twice been arrested for driving while intoxicated, once in 1982 and again in 1994. In the 1982 case, he pleaded down to driving while impaired and paid a $250 fine. In the 1994 case, which occurred after an accident in Rockville Centre, he pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated and was fined $500 and sentenced to three years' probation. Police say that the 45-year Elmont resident did have a valid driver's license.
