TAMARAC, Fla. – The families of 14-year-old Ziair Simpson and 17-year-old Crystal McLeod are grieving on Monday. The teenage girls died in a car crash on Saturday night in Broward County.
lana Pernell, Ziair’s grandmother, said Ziair was a Fort Lauderdale High School student who was getting ready to celebrate her 15th birthday next month.
“I am so sad,” Pernell said. “It breaks my heart. This is very hard for us. No words can explain how we feel about Ziair. It’s very bad. It’s like I am dying. Not to mention her mom, her mom is in a very bad state.”
Three other teenagers who were with them are recovering from injuries. All of the teenagers are from Lauderdale Lakes.
FOURTH OF JULY CRASH
Crystal was driving a 2010 Honda Civic southbound on North State Road 7 in Tamarac with Ziair and the three other passengers.
According to Broward Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Donald Prichard, Crystal was speeding about 9:50 p.m. when she “aggressively changed lanes and overcorrected her steering.”
The move caused the car to slide sideways and rotate clockwise until the vehicle’s driver’s side struck a large concrete pole, according to Prichard, a BSO spokesman.
The impact split the Honda Civic in two just north of Commercial Boulevard. Relatives and friends turned the tree behind the pole into a temporary memorial with flowers, balloons and stuffed animals.
4:30 PM REPORT