2nd girl dies after car crash along I-95 in Deerfield Beach

'It breaks my heart to lose them both,' grandmother says

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. – A 5-year-old girl who was seriously injured in a car crash Sunday along Interstate 95 in Deerfield Beach has died, her family said.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, two cars collided about 11 a.m. Sunday just north of Sample Road, shutting down a portion of the highway for six hours. Keana Bennett, 5, and her 2-year-old sister, Akeena, were critically injured in the crash.

Akeena died after being rushed to Broward Health Medical Center on Sunday. Keana was taken to the same hospital and placed on life support, but she died Monday.

Troopers said both girls were not using car seats. They said it was unclear whether the girls were wearing seat belts.

"Words can't express tonight how I feel, losing my two nieces," Suzette Scott, the girls' aunt, said.

The family said the girls were riding with their 34-year-old godmother, Raby Rashida. Troopers said Rashida also hurt in the crash, but her injuries were described as not life-threatening. The family said Rashida and the girls were on their way to church at the time of the crash.

The family gathered at the same church Monday night to remember Keana and Akeena.

"It breaks my heart to lose them both," Barbara Scott, the girls' grandmother, said.

The girls' mother posted a video on Facebook, asking for prayers.

"I'm just asking you guys to keep us in your prayers," she said. "Both of my kids are gone. Two babies gone."


About the Authors:

Janine Stanwood joined Local 10 News in February 2004 as an assignment editor. She is now a general assignment reporter. Before moving to South Florida from her Washington home, Janine was the senior legislative correspondent for a United States senator on Capitol Hill.