The families of the two women killed in the "2 drunk 2 care" accident have filed a lawsuit against the T-Mobile store where Kayla Mendoza worked.
On November 17 last year, Mendoza had drinks at Tijuana Taxi Co. in Coral Springs with her T-Mobile coworkers before driving a Hyundai Sonata the wrong way onto the Sawgrass Expressway and crashing into a 2012 Toyota Camry. The crash killed Marisa Catronio and a passenger, Kaitlyn Ferrante.
Mendoza, who was hospitalized after suffering injuries, had tweeted "2 drunk 2 care" hours before the crash. She was 20 years old at the time of the accident -- to young to drink legally.
Following her hospital stay, Mendoza was arrested and charged with two counts of DUI manslaughter while impaired, two counts of DUI manslaughter with an unlawful blood-alcohol level, two counts of vehicular homicide, and two counts of driving without a license, causing death.
See also: Kayla "2 Drunk 2 Care" Mendoza Pleads Not Guilty
The accident made headlines after it was revealed Mendoza had tweeted "2 drunk 2 care" hours before the crash.
There were also references to smoking weed in her Twitter account.
Mendoza's family told New Times at the time that her Twitter had been hacked. The Twitter account was later deleted by the family.
According to sworn affidavits, witnesses told FHP investigators that Mendoza had drinks at Tijuana Taxi in Coral Springs with her coworkers before driving the Hyundai the wrong way onto the Sawgrass Expressway that night.
Witnesses also told FHP they saw Mendoza driving fast into oncoming traffic, causing cars to swerve out of the way.
In a televised interview with Inside Edition following her arrest, Mendoza claimed to not have any memory of the crash.
The victims' families had already filed a wrongful death suit against Mendoza last December, as well as the owner of the borrowed Hyundai Mendoza was driving that night, Federico Javier Reyes Santiago.
In addition to compensation for pain and suffering, the families are asking for compensation for medical expenses and funeral expenses.
The Sun Sentinel reports that the amended lawsuit has added the Tamarac T-Mobile, claiming that the store hosted a work-related get-together at Tijuana Taxi, where the then-underaged Mendoza was served alcohol.
Jamie Finizio-Bascombe, attorney for the Ferrante family, told the Sentinel that T-Mobile was added to the lawsuit because of accountability. "All responsible parties need to do what is right," he said.
The T-Mobile store and its parent firm, Mobile Store Operators, have not commented on the lawsuit or announced who would be representing them.
Meanwhile, Mendoza remains locked up and, according to her attorney, is still recovering from her injuries. She is being held on $600,000 bond in a Broward County jail.
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