Extended Street Designation Honors Teen Killed In 1999
HIALEAH (CBS4)- A South Florida mother is hoping that an extended street designation in honor of her daughter who lost her life in a 1999 car accident will bring awareness to reckless driving.
Miami-Dade County and the City of Hialeah honored Mayra Caopote by designating a stretch of roadway near west 12 Avenue and 68 Street as Mayra Capote Street.
It's a day to honor and remember the late Mayra Capote, who would now be 27-years-old.
"She was so loving, so sweet," her mother Mayra Capote said.
Twelve years after, then 14-year-old Mayra's life was tragically taken in a car accident.
"This was my daughter last route," Capote told CBS4's Kara Kostanich. "They drove down 12th Avenue and they made a left right on 68th Street."
Mayra and two other students died along the Hialeah route on September 8th, 1999.
In 2003 four blocks were named after the teen, but on Friday that was extended to eight blocks.
"Once they make a turn here or cross the intersection or at 8th or at 4th they'll be able to see the name and maybe ask the question who was she, what happened and hopefully that will just lead to safety," Miami Dade county commissioner Esteban Bovo said.
And that's what Mayra's mother hopes the extended street designation will do. The deadly accident happened just five blocks from where a new sign now proclaims Mayra's name.
"That's the main reason… so we could have these sign up so our present and future teenagers will realize the danger in reckless driving," she said.
The accident happened during an open campus lunch break when Mayra was in the car with four other students driving back to Hialeah Miami Lakes High School.
Her mother has fought tirelessly to close school campuses at lunch time across the state of Florida.
Marya's close childhood friend, Zachary Martinez, said he thinks on campus school lunch hours should be mandatory.
"I don't think that kids nowadays are responsible enough to go out to lunch and be safe," he said.
The Miami-Dade School Board agreed. In 2004, they made it mandatory for students to stay on public school campuses during lunch.
