A 16-year-old driver was speeding more than 45 mph over the limit when he lost control of a Mercedes-Benz in Pompano Beach, causing a crash that killed him and a classmate and left three other teens injured, according to a newly released report from the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators said J.V. was driving at about 80 mph — roughly 45 mph over the posted 35 mph speed limit — when he lost control and collided with multiple vehicles on West Copans Road near Leisure Boulevard on June 25.
Detectives said the Mercedes was being operated “in a reckless manner likely to cause the death or great bodily harm to another person.”
The excessive speed, investigators noted, “caused a decrease in the amount of time and distance needed to react to changing traffic conditions.”
The crash happened just before 8 p.m. when V’s westbound Mercedes collided with a Toyota Sienna that was turning south onto Leisure Boulevard.
The impact caused the Mercedes to roll over, slide across the roadway and strike two additional vehicles — a 2021 Toyota RAV4 driven by Steven Miller and another car driven by Gilbert Francois.
Authorities said V died at the scene, and 17-year-old Richard Grable III, a passenger in his car, was pronounced dead two days later.
Both teens were students at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale.
Three other 17-year-olds who were in the Mercedes — identified by deputies as TAB, AF and RB — were taken to Broward Health North in Deerfield Beach with serious injuries.
The other drivers involved, including M, F, and an 82-year-old motorist, were treated at the scene and cooperated with investigators.
BSO detectives said speed was a major contributing factor in the deadly crash, which left the community in mourning.
Memorials and prayer services were held at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in the days following the wreck.
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Source: local10
