LOXAHATCHEE, Fla. — Two people were found dead in a vehicle partially submerged in a canal Sunday morning, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue said.
At about 7:45 a.m., rescuers responded to 60th Street North and 190th Terrace North in Loxahatchee Groves for a reported car in a canal.
Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Teri Barbera said a 22-year-old woman was driving a Toyota RAV4 eastbound on 60th Street North when, for unknown reasons, she lost control of the SUV as it approached the intersection of 190th Terrace, hit the guard rail and ended up in the canal.
Rescue crews found the car, partially submerged and upside down in the canal. Rescuers entered the water and found the driver and passenger dead inside the car.
The victims were later identified as Derick Lozano and Liliana Francisco.
Family members and friends visited the site throughout the day to pay their respects, placing flowers where the crash occurred.
"As a mother, I'm really hurting," Lozano's mother, Marlen Varela, said. "He was a good kid. He wasn't perfect, but he was a good kid."
Julio Carmona said he was close to the victims.
"The guy was basically my brother and the girl was, like, basically my best friend," he said.
Now, amid the heartache, Varela said she's struggling to find the money to give her son a proper burial.
"Truly, I don't have the resources to pay for a funeral," she said. "It's not easy for anyone to go through a time like this, but it's even harder when you're struggling financially."
Lozano's family has established a GoFundMe page to raise money for the funeral costs.
Deputies were investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
