Two seniors from Corpus Christi Independent School District died on May 31 after a rollover accident along Port Avenue near Broadway Street in the south Texas city.
According to the school district, the W.B. Ray High School students were traveling back to school after attending graduation rehearsal at the American Bank Center.
The Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victims as Matthew Garcia and Marcello Saldua, both 18 years old.
“Our Texan community is devastated by this loss of our graduating seniors,” said Principal Roxanne Cuevas. “Our hearts go out to all the loved ones affected by this tragedy.”
In keeping with CCISD’s tradition of honoring deceased students, the district announced that it would reserve two empty chairs for the students during the graduation, held on June 3.
“We want to express our deepest condolences to the families of the two seniors we lost today,” said CCISD Superintendent Roland Hernandez. “We appreciate our community’s prayers for our district during what continues to be an incredibly challenging time for us as well as for educators across the nation.”
Two other students were also injured in the crash. They were taken to a hospital in critical condition, and neither their identities nor current conditions have been revealed.
A family member set up a GoFundMe account to raise funds for Marcello Saldua’s funeral costs, describing him as a cousin, a son, a brother, a nephew, and a grandson.
The 18-year-old was also described as a person with a heart of gold who left a mark everywhere he went. The GoFundMe account has raised $3,300 of its $10,000 goal as of June 7.