‘Had Their Whole Future Ahead of Them’

NEED TO KNOW

• Two teenagers are dead after their car allegedly attempted to pass another one in an area designated as a no passing zone on Florida’s State Road 33 at around 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15

• When the 16-year-old driver entered the northbound lane, she saw a 2021 Lincoln Aviator heading toward her and swerved, but ended up crashing into the Aviator and overturning

• The 16-year-old driver and her teenage passenger were pronounced dead on the scene and four people in the Aviator were transported to the hospital

Two teenagers are dead and several others were hospitalized following a two-car crash in Florida.

The incident happened at around 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15 on Florida’s State Road 33 when a 16-year-old girl driving a a 2008 Toyota Scion attempted to pass another car in a no passing zone, according to the Orlando Sentinel, the Daily Commercial and Fox 35 Orlando, which cited the Florida Highway Patrol.

The teenager entered the northbound lane and saw a 2021 Lincoln Aviator driven by a 75-year-old Lakeland man in the same lane heading toward her. This prompted her to attempt to swerve back into her lane, per the outlets.

However the teen reportedly lost control of the car and ended up swerving back into the wrong lane and in the pathway of the Lincoln Aviator. The Lincoln Aviator then struck the teens’ car causing it to overturn.

The 16-year-old teenager and her male passenger, who was also identified as a teenager, were pronounced dead on the scene.

A 6-year-old child who had been in the Lincoln Aviator was seriously injured and taken to a nearby hospital. The 75-year-old driver and two other passengers — identified as a 66-year-old woman and a 5-year-old boy — all suffered minor injuries and were transported to a nearby hospital.

Florida Highway Patrol did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on the incident.

One of the people who witnessed the immediate aftermath of the crash, Nelida Capo, told WESH-TV, “The car, it was in pieces. It was a really, really bad accident, really bad.”

The two teenagers involved in the crash were identified by WESH-TV as 16-year-old Jade and her boyfriend 17-year-old Jose Ivan. They were students of South Lake High School in Groveland, Lake County Schools confirmed, per Fox 35 Orlando.

“We are deeply saddened to confirm the tragic loss of two South Lake High School students, one Junior and one Sophomore,” Lake County Schools told the outlet. “Our hearts go out to their families, friends, and the entire school community during this difficult time.”

The school added that “grief counselors” would be available on campus throughout the week for students and staff. The school concluded its statement saying, “Together, we will lean on one another and provide the care and support our community needs.”

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Jade was remembered on GoFundMe by her family as “full of love, laughter, and a spirit that brightened every room she walked into.” Ivan, meanwhile, was described on GoFundMe as a “bright, kind, and loving young man with his whole future ahead of him.”

On Monday, Nov. 17, friends and loved ones of the two teenagers paid their respects to them at a memorial at Lake Catherine Farms, per WESH-TV.

“Those were two souls that belonged to our community who were going to do great things in our community,” Melissa Martin, one of the organizers of the memorial, told the outlet. “I personally don’t think I’ve let myself catch up with my emotions.”

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