Families of 5 men killed in crash speaking out
The shock is still slowly settling in with them. The loved ones of the five men who died in a fiery crash in Brooksville earlier this week are now speaking out for the first time.
"It was ugly. Very sad," said Maria Mendoza. Mendoza is the sister of Apolinar Nunez. Investigators say he was at the wheel of his pick-up when a box truck went through a flashing red light and hit him.
Nunez leaves behind three boys who range in age from 7 to 21-years-old.
"They wake up at night, asking him to come home," said Mendoza. "It is sad we're not going to be able to see him one more time."
A few blocks away in Wahneta, another family is grieving. One of Nunez passengers, Guillermo Chavez, leaves behind his fiancée and their 3-month-old baby girl, Natalie.
Her mom, Eva Garcia is still trying to come to grips that she is now going to have to raise Natalie on her own.
"Part of me still says he wasn't in the truck. Maybe he is out there somewhere. Maybe he is in a car, or he could walk through the door anytime," she told FOX 13, choking up.
The Florida Highway Patrol just released the name of the fifth victim on Thursday. 48-year-old Felipe Cruz was from Bartow.
The men had seven children in all. Two accounts have been set up for them. One is at Mid-Florida Credit Union under "Lost Employees Children's Memorial Fund."
For more information on the second account click here.