Three grieving families sought help with funeral expenses on Monday, the day after a vehicle accident left three Apopka teenagers dead and two schools shocked by the sudden loss of life.
The horrific accident killed Julio Lopez, 17, Enrique Rodriguez Sabas, 17, and Leyner Velasquez, 13, according to the Orange County Medical Examiner.
The three who died were with three other teenagers in a pickup truck that crashed into a tree just before 2 a.m. Sunday. The other three were seriously injured and transported to area hospitals.
The teenagers who died were students at Apopka High School and the Kelly Park School, according to a Facebook post from Orange County School Board member Melissa Byrd, whose district includes both schools.
Jesus Rodriguez, an older brother of Enrique, said the teenager was a “big-hearted” member of a large family.
“He was a kind, big-hearted person who was always there for his friends and his family,” Rodriguez said in a brief phone interview. “He was very reliable and dependent, if you needed him he was there.”
Three teenagers, Enrique Rodriguez Sabas, from left, Julio Lopez and Leyner Velasquez, were killed in a single-vehicle crash in Orange County early Sunday morning, Nov. 9, 2025, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. (GoFundMe)
He started a GoFundMe page in his brother’s honor, as others did for the other two victims. All had raised several thousand dollars by midday Monday.
The page for Leyner, the youngest victim, was particularly heartbreaking. “This family has several children and grandchildren living under one roof, and every day is already a challenge to make ends meet,” it said. “The unexpected cost of funeral arrangements has placed a heavy burden on them during an already devastating time.”
The page for Julio said his mother needed help with funeral expenses. The teenager “was a vivid young man with many aspirations who always helped take care of his mother even in the hardest moments.”
Byrd said the principals of the two schools notified students’ families Sunday of the tragedy. Both campuses had grief counselors available for students and staff on Monday.
Byrd took to Facebook on Sunday night to share her own heart break about the deaths. “Please pray for Apopka High School and Kelly Park School K-8 as both these schools work through this loss. Hold your kids and loved ones tight showing your love for each other, every day,” she said.
“This is a parent’s worst nightmare,” Byrd said Monday. “That’s what my message yesterday was really about just making sure that we are loving our children, telling those that we love that we love them because you just never know. In an instant things change forever.”
People gather Monday, Nov. 10, 2025 on Welch Drive at Wekiwa Drive in Apopka, the scene of a deadly crash that killed three teenagers early Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. (Brian Bell/Orlando Sentinel)
Byrd also said she appreciated the “outpouring of support” for the victims’ families. “The community definitely needs the support and you know these families are going to be having a lot to deal with.”
A makeshift memorial Monday, at the base of the tree where young lives came to an end, had balloons, prayer candles, photos, flowers and more. A group of young people who were gathered shed tears and embraced around the tree as vehicles streamed by.
Lt. Tara Crescenzi with the Florida Highway Patrol said by email Monday morning that the agency had no new information to release about the wreck but it remains under investigation.
At approximately 1:37 a.m. Sunday, a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado driven by a 17-year-old boy from Apopka was traveling eastbound on Welch Road approaching Wekiwa Drive, the agency said. The boy lost control of the vehicle while negotiating a curve and the pickup ran off the roadway, struck a tree and overturned.
FHP said the driver and two passengers, a 15-year old boy and a 14-year-old boy, were transported to area hospitals with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries. The three other passengers died as a result of crash injuries, one pronounced dead at Advent Health Apopka and other two pronounced dead at the scene.
The FHP report said only the driver and one of the deceased 17-year-olds were wearing seatbelts.
