Oct
21
Marta Ines Lopez de Galicia says her daughter Banny Galicia was her “gift from heaven” because she gave birth to her at age 40.
The mourning mother on Tuesday stood under a tree outside the mobile-home-park trailer where a plane crashed last week in Lake Worth, killing her 21-year-old daughter, who was sleeping inside the trailer.
“I have no words to explain how I am feeling,” said Lopez de Galicia, 61.
Pilot Dan Shalloway, 64, also was killed Oct. 13, when the plane crashed at Mar-Mak Colony Club, near the corner of Lake Worth Road and Congress Avenue.
Lopez de Galicia on Sunday traveled from Guatemala, where she was visiting relatives, back to South Florida to join her family to help plan her daughter’s memorial. Banny, a U.S. native, will be buried in Guatemala, her family said.
Marta Ines Lopez de Galicia on Sunday traveled from Guatemala to South Florida to mourn the loss of her daughter Banny Galicia, who was killed when a plane crashed into the home she was sleeping in last Tuesday.
Marta Ines Lopez de Galicia on Sunday traveled from Guatemala to South Florida to mourn the loss of her daughter Banny Galicia, who was killed when a plane crashed into the home she was sleeping in last Tuesday.
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On Tuesday afternoon, family members sat outside on a couch eating lunch and gazing at the trailer, where yellow crime scene tape still bordered the home.
From the front of the residence, it looks like nothing tragic happened. A can of Folgers coffee remained on the kitchen table, ready to be brewed. Also remaining was a shaker of kosher salt. The stemware stood in a cabinet in the kitchen and the bright-orange bottle of Tide laundry detergent stood out from where clothes were washed.
But none of the personal items located inside the home has been touched in a week. A half-dozen construction workers were clearing burnt debris from the back of the trailer. The back of the trailer was completely blown out after a Piper Cherokee plane crashed into the home.
As Domingo Galicia sat in a chair staring at the front porch of his small, white trailer home, friends brought him food to eat, pats on the back and words of affection.
Galicia stayed unmoved, somberly gazing at his home — the front intact as if nothing unusual had occurred the day before, the…
As Domingo Galicia sat in a chair staring at the front porch of his small, white trailer home, friends brought him food to eat, pats on the back and words of affection.
Galicia stayed unmoved, somberly gazing at his home — the front intact as if nothing unusual had occurred the day before, the…
(Kate Jacobson and Rebeca Piccardo)
It is still unclear what caused the plane to crash, but online flight-tracking data indicated Shalloway was preparing to land at the Palm Beach County Park Airport when something went wrong, causing him to lose control and veer off path.
The trailer is uninhabitable and likely will be demolished. It has no power, electricity or water. The stench of burnt plastic fills the trailer, where the impact from the crash caused a fiery explosion, melting window frames and the air-conditioning unit into waxy shapes. Family members have been staying with relatives and at hotels.
But they congregate outside the trailer to spend time with one another, said Galicia’s cousin, Winder Galindo. Near the couch, a makeshift memorial has been erected with a photo of Galicia, which is surrounded by dozens of bouquets of flowers and teddy bears. Burnt pages from a Bible lie scattered next to the home. Some verses from pages are still legible.
“It took a while to realize what happened,” he said. “Certain things you don’t expect to happen, but this was really unexpected.”
Galindo said his aunt went into shock when she found out her daughter died. “She went looking for my cousin,” he said.
Galindo, 25, said he was close to his cousin and he acted like an older brother toward her.
He said he would check in to find out how she was doing in school and they discussed life lessons together, like how to build credit. Galicia was studying business at Palm Beach State College. Galindo said she knew she wanted to work in an office for a company, but she wasn’t sure which company yet.
“I was 14 when I came here from Guatemala,” he said. “She brought me to buy my first toothbrush and toothpaste. She took me to a store around the corner to buy my first Snickers bar. I stayed close with her.”
Galicia will be buried in Guatemala as early as next week, he said. First, there will be a memorial at 7 p.m. Thursday at Lake Worth High School.
mgottesman@sunsentinel.com, 561-243-6544 or Twitter @marisagottesman
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