POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – Aline Palla Acosta is being remembered as a bright young woman whose presence lit up a room.
“She was a good girl, very humble,” Carlos Acosta said. “She’s been married to my son for about three years.”
Authorities said the 27-year-old was out rollerblading along a multi-purpose path Wednesday afternoon in Pompano Beach when she was fatally struck by a wayward car.
Palla Acosta’s father-in-law and husband both returned to the scene Thursday for answers.
“It’s left a big hole because we’re uncertain of what happened,” Acosta said. “We’ve been trying to figure it out, you know? Coming to terms with what actually happened with her and the accident.”
Traces of the crash were still evident as car pieces were strewn about the area on Northeast 10th Street near Fifth Avenue.
Bark was also missing from a tree that split a speeding car in half after witnesses said the driver tried to veer around a slower moving car but over-corrected and lost control.
“Everybody uses this path for bike riding, running, rollerblading, and the person last night was minding their own business and someone comes outta control driving fast,” James Feeney, who lives in the area, said.
Cellphone video shows a bystander trying to help the male driver after he and a female passenger were both ejected from the vehicle.
The pair was rushed to Broward Health North, where they were both listed in critical condition.
But Palla Acosta, who was pinned between the car and a pole, was pronounced dead at the scene.
“Here this person makes a bad decision, speeding and hurts a rollerblader. It’s really sad and unfair to people,” Feeney said.
The family created a GoFundMe page to help pay for funeral expenses.