LAWTEY, Fla. – A 16-year-old girl died and a second teenage girl was critically injured Friday afternoon in an ATV crash northwest of Lawtey in Bradford County, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
It happened about 1:30 p.m. on Northwest 233rd Street, just off Northwest County Road 125.
Troopers said Madison Sams,16, was driving and Jaryn Box, 14, was riding on the ATV when it rolled over.
Sams died at the scene.
Box was airlifted to UF Health in Jacksonville with critical injuries.
Troopers continue to investigate.
A woman who has lived on Northwest 233rd Street for 50 years told News4Jax that every summer, teens are flying down the first road.
"I'm surprised it hasn't happened before, because you can't go that fast. And then they have been cutting timber back there, and there's limbs and things," said the neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous. "From what I understand, they hit something and flipped it and it landed on one of the girls."
The woman said she can't image what Sams' family members are going through, but she sent them a message.
"Just trust the Lord," she said, "We lost our son. He was a state trooper up in North Carolina. He was killed on duty. God can help you get through it."
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, there were 3,971 reported deaths as a result of ATV-related collisions between 2004 and 2007. Of those, 18 percent were children under the age of 16.