At the Kearns Funeral Home in /*Rego Park*/, the family, the friends, the classmates of /*Daniel Fernandez*/ said a tearful and emotional goodbye to the 16-year-old killed in a gruesome accident on board a party bus Friday night.
"He just made everybody smile. He never let anybody be upset. And he just always liked to joke around. We always had a good time with him," said Cheyenne Coco, a friend.
The teenager was on a double-decker bus with 65 other students from St. Francis Preparatory School in Queens. When Fernandez stuck his head out of an emergency roof hatch, it struck an overpass and killed him.
"He wasn't a stupid kid. He knew right from wrong. And I just really don't know what would possess him to do that," said Corinne Blaise, a student.
Evidence of Fernandez's popularity was seen in the line of mourners at Monday's wake; A line that stretched around the funeral home on Woodhaven Boulevard.
Students from the Spaniard Social Club made flowered armbands to remember and honor their friend.
"We made these for our performances. We are always going to wear them in his memory. All the groups are going to wear these to represent him because we lost him. He was in every group," said Melanie Huerta, a friend.
Designer Limousines, the company that owns the party bus says they had two employees on the bus.
They say their emergency hatches were compliant with the law, but says it was a poor decision made by the students to open the hatch is what led to this accident.
CLICK HERE TO SEE PHOTOS FROM THE ACCIDENT AND VIGIL.
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