Community mourning after Brockton HS student killed in crash on dad's birthday

BROCKTON, Mass. — A community is in mourning after a Brockton High School student was killed Tuesday in a car crash after baseball practice.

Isaias Caban, 15, was a passenger in the front seat of a car that slammed into a tree on Summer Street around 1 p.m.

“It was rattling,” Mariah Rodrigues said. “It looked like somebody took a piece of paper and bunched the paper up. The front of the car was completely dismantled.”

Caban was killed in the crash. Two other teenage boys in the car were injured and taken to separate hospitals to be treated for serious injuries.

Brockton High School students are on Spring Break this week, but administrators said grief counselors will be on hand for any member of the school community who wishes to speak with someone about the tragic incident.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those involved and our school community during this very difficult time," a letter from Superintendent Kathleen Smith said.

Caban was killed on his father’s 51st birthday.

“I wish it was me that's gone, not my son,” Osvaldo Caban said.

Osvaldo Caban said he is remembering his son as a young man who loved baseball and was in ROTC because he wanted to serve his country when he got older.

“He said ‘Papi I don't want to be a professional baseball player like you, I want to join the military, I want to serve my country,’” his father said. "He really wanted to serve this country. He was taken away from me too early."

Cox Media Group