Best Friend Mourns Woman Killed In Crash On 22nd Birthday
MILFORD (CBS) - Ailine Ortiz showed the last picture she took of her best friend, Stephanie Boaventura. "It's my best friend, today's her birthday," said Ortiz.
A group of friends celebrated Stephanie's 22nd birthday at a hookah lounge in Winthrop on Thursday night. They skipped going out to eat because Stephanie was tired. She insisted on driving back to Milford to celebrate with her family on Friday.
"She kept saying yesterday, 'my birthday is on Friday the 13th. Isn't that scary.' And, I'm like don't think like that," said Ortiz.
Like they do every time they go out, the pair stayed on the phone to make sure each arrived home safe.
"We were on the phone, she said 'I am tired. I am going to put on music, so it can kind of wake me up.' I said, 'call me when you get home,'" said Ortiz.
Stephanie never made it home. State Police say for some reason she drove into the median on I-95 south near exit 8 in Sharon. When she tried to get back on the road she hit the guardrail.
The crash happened at three in the morning and closed two lanes of the highway for four hours. Officers are still investigating the cause.
"I called her about 20 different times and it was like an instinct feeling," said Ortiz.
Family and friends gathered at the Boaventura home.
Ailine and Stephanie just graduated Regis College. Stephanie was already pursuing her master's in public health management.
"She asked me, 'Ailine did you already start your master's because I did,'" said Ortiz. "She said, 'what are you waiting for you should have taken some summer classes.'"
It is one example of what Stephanie's best friend and family already miss as they mourn her death on her birthday.
"There's an angel in heaven," said Ortiz.
The family set up a fundraising page to help pay off Stephanie's student loans and cover the cost of her funeral.
