NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — One day after losing her daughter in a high-speed crash on Briley Parkway, Bilia Hernandez Perez is pleading for justice.
In just one month she was planning to celebrate her daughter Nancy Mariela Choc Hernandez's Quinceañera.
"I even paid for the decorations and the music already, because she told me I want my birthday to be unforgettable," she said.
Now Perez has resigned herself to the fact that Nancy will never be able to enjoy the party she dreamed of.
"My daughter took a part of me. I am no longer whole. My heart is broken in two."
Metro Nashville Police Department said Nancy along with two other passengers were inside a car driven by a 17-year-old driving under the influence and at an extremely fast speed.
He'll be charged with vehicular homicide by intoxication and two counts of aggravated assault. Charges that Perez hopes will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
"In court, I want to see him. I want him to pay for his actions. I will give, and exhaust, all of me to find justice," she said.
Nancy Mariela Choc Hernandez was a freshman at Hunters Lane High School. Her mother says she had a bright future ahead of her and dreamed of becoming a firefighter.
"She was a girl with a great future ahead of her with many dreams, a very well-educated girl," she said.
Perez said her daughter left school while classes were still ongoing. She said she doesn't blame the school district, but believes Nancy's death was preventable.
"I know that schools fail. There are times when they don't pay attention to the children. But I don't wish this on anyone else, and schools need to take serious matters. If it happened to me today, tomorrow it could happen to someone else," Perez said.
A spokesperson for Metro Schools says leaving school without permission is an offense taken seriously. As a district, they'll continue to "impress upon both students and families the importance of consistent attendance towards the success of students at MNPS."
Perez's dream of fulfilling her daughter's dream birthday, one that marked her passage from girlhood to womanhood, is no longer a possibility.
Now her hope is to raise enough money to send her daughter's body back to her home country of Guatemala.
If you would like to help the family, you can find a link to their GoFundMe HERE.
Quotes in this article have been translated from Spanish.
