NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — Students at Wendell Krinn Technical School are coming together to grieve after a drunk driver killed one of their fellow students and her father in a fatal crash.

  • Crash occurred in Levy County on March 25
  • Suzanne Lewis, 14, and David Lewis, 40, both killed
  • Students fundraising to help family through GoFundMe campaign
  • More Pasco County stories

The robotics lab at Wendell Krinn feels different now, according to students who know best. It's because someone's missing that should be there.

“When she walked there was change of atmosphere," said student Mateo Maques. "You can tell it was so much brighter. She was such a good person."

He’s remembering his close friend, Suzanne Lewis, who was just 14. Suzanne and her father, David Lewis, 40, were killed by a drunk driver while riding on a motorcycle on spring break. 

“It was terrible," Maques said. "I probably cried for a few hours. Few days really. I haven’t even gotten over it yet,” Maques said. 

David and Suzanne are survived by Suzanne’s twin sisters.

Friend Mackenzie Paternostro says they’d already lost their mother, who passed away years ago.

“For me, it felt like losing my own family. For them it’s even worse,” Paternostro said. 

Several students put together a fundraiser, hoping to raise at least $10,000 for the family.

“We wanted to help give back to them,” Paternostro said. 

In just days, they raised $5,000 with a GoFundMe account. They’re still hoping to raise more.

In the mean time, Suzanne and her father are remembered on one of the robots she worked on.

“I could not say 'thank you' enough to her," Maques told us. "She gave every single day of her life. Same with her father. They were great people."

FHP charged 29-year old Savannah Wilson of Chiefland with DUI manslaughter. 

To learn more about the fundraiser for the Lewis family or to make a donation, visit: http://www.gofundme.com/szproject2019.

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