SAN DIEGO — It's been 10 years since Cindi Aguirre's daughter Veronica was killed when she got behind the wheel after a night out partying.
"She chose to drink. [I’m] not saying she was forced. Everyone experiments. I've accepted it,” Cindi said.
Now the Poway mom must see another family in her community face the same unimaginable loss.
Gustavo Beltran was one of two 15-year-olds killed over the weekend in a fiery crash. Investigators said a 17-year-old driver of a BMW sped off Interstate 163 landing 40 feet below. The car burst into flames with the driver and two more teens escaping.
California Highway Patrol Officer Salvador Castro said the driver is recovering in the hospital awaiting arraignment on DUI and vehicular manslaughter charges.
“He’ll be charged as an adult,” Castro said.
He said as tragic as it is, these accidents happen all too often.
"A lot of it too is when they're with friends. Provisional drivers cannot have passengers under the age of 25 in the vehicle,” said Castro.
This weekend’s deadly crash is the third involving a group of teens this month alone. Last week, two 16-year-olds were killed after their speeding truck veered off a road in Lakeside and slammed head-on into a tree. Two other 16-year-old passengers in the back survived.
Just a week prior, a teenage driver was killed, and five other teens injured, in a solo car crash on State Route 905 in Otay Mesa.
"It brings everything to life again,” said Cindi Aguirre about hearing of these recent crashes.
Every month, Cindi goes back to Poway High School where her daughter was a varsity cheerleader. She speaks to teens just like Veronica on the dangers of distracted and drunk driving.
Gustavo Beltran also attended Poway High.
"I keep saying if I can just touch one student then all of this speaking is worth it,” Cindi said.