Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2007
by Melissa J. Brachfeld and Contessa Crisostomo | Staff Writers
Flames twinkled in the darkness as more than 100 friends and family members turned out at Richard Montgomery High School for a candlelight vigil Tuesday night to pay tribute to the two students who died as a result of a car crash on Avery Road in Rockville on Monday.
Oswaldo Rosales, 16, of Sandy Spring died at the scene of the collision, Montgomery County Police said, and Ricardo Orellana-Hernandez, 16, of Rockville succumbed to his injuries Tuesday morning.
Both were passengers in the car, which was driven by Jose Miguel Gomez, 19, of Rockville, police reported.
Just after 4 p.m. Monday, Gomez was driving a 1997 Nissan Altima south in the 14800 block of Avery Road near Norbeck Road when for unknown reasons it went out of control and struck a tree, police said. He was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and has since been released.
At the candlelight vigil Tuesday evening, friends, family and school staff remembered two young men who they said were full of enthusiasm and promise.
Light from the candles illuminated a table in the middle of the circle of mourners with Rosales’s and Orellana-Hernandez’s framed photos.
Many speakers, many of whom spoke in Spanish, wept as they recalled two ‘‘wonderful” young men who looked forward to making the most of their futures.
As the mourners blew out and placed their candles on the table, Richard Montgomery High School Principal Moreno E. Carrasco said the school community was shocked to hear of the deaths. He said he spent time with both families Tuesday.
‘‘Both kids had bright futures and they were cut prematurely,” he said.
Carrasco said he hopes the event, while tragic, would serve to educate the school community about safe driving.
‘‘I think this is going to be a turning point for everyone and bring people together,” he said.
Standing off to the side and crying quietly with friends, Leathicia Younsi, a 14-year-old freshman from Rockville, said she was close to both boys. She said she was at home Monday afternoon when she learned of the car crash.
‘‘I was really afraid,” Younsi said. ‘‘We didn’t sleep at all and we were sad.”
She added that she would miss hanging out with both boys.
‘‘Oswaldo was the best boy ever because he’s respectful and he’s very nice and intelligent and I, like, love him so much, and Ricardo made me laugh every day I saw him,” Younsi said. ‘‘I just love them both so much.”
Wearing a picture of a smiling Rosales pinned to his black sweatshirt, Humberto Rosales, Oswaldo’s father, said he would miss his best friend.
‘‘He was an excellent guy,” he said. ‘‘He was my buddy and partner.”
Richard Montgomery Parent-Teacher-Student Association President Kate Savage said the PTSA is accepting donations on behalf of the Rosales and Orellana-Hernandez families. Donations can be sent to Richard Montgomery High School, c⁄o Kate Savage, 250 Richard Montgomery Drive Rockville, MD 20852. For more information, call 301-279-8400.
