YULEE, Fla. – Two teenage cousins were on their way to church when they were killed in a head-on crash that troopers believe was caused by weather conditions Wednesday night in Yulee, loved ones told News4Jax.
A 76-year-old man was also injured in the crash, which was reported about 7 p.m. and blocked all lanes of U.S. 17, just south of Harts Road, for several hours.
A Nissan Sentra was traveling south on U.S. 17, and because of the weather conditions, it crashed into a Kia Soul that was going in the other direction, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The two teenagers in the Nissan, 16-year-old Kay Stanley Deraway IV, who was driving, and 15-year-old Travis Lighthall were killed.
“They were just so happy, always around each other. Always called me to go play basketball with them and always try and come over and stay the night and hang out. We would all just sit around and laugh," their cousin Brendan Wishart said.
The teens loved going to youth services at Oceanway Assembly of God, and were heading to the church at the time of the crash, Youth Pastor Dan Meys told News4Jax on Thursday.
Meys said the teens' parents were out of town, and they were staying with other family members, which is why they were driving on U.S. 17 to get to their church -- a route they wouldn't have normally taken. He said their deaths will have a major impact on the ministry.
"They were fun, lively dudes and we had a lot of fun with them, and they are going to be greatly missed," Meys said. "The scripture tells us that mourning, it lasts for the night and joy comes in the morning, and we are just believing that through this time. Their legacy is going to live on, and it's going to fuel the next generation to run harder after Jesus, and that's what we're believing."
The boys were described as both having contagious smiles.
“It really doesn’t seem real. Kay and Travis were really good people, good kids. There’s been a lot (of people) touched by their lives. They are always going around making jokes and making people laugh. It never failed," said Megan Stevens, a friend of Deraway.
Stevens said the teens' family members are very upset.
"They really aren’t taking it well," she said. "They are taking it hard, but they are also trying to stay strong because the boys would want them to stay strong."
One of the teens attended First Coast High School and the other was at Oceanway Middle School. Duval County Public Schools released a statement Thursday:
The communities of First Coast High School, Oceanway Middle School, and Duval County Public Schools are deeply saddened by the unexpected passing of two of its students due to an auto accident. To support the well-being of students and faculty, specially-trained school counselors and social workers will be onsite today at both schools, and will provide continued support as needed.
The boys' families have set up a GoFundMe account to help pay for their funerals.
Deadly crash raises concerns over 'dangerous' road
Troopers continue to investigate the deadly crash and are trying to determine why the Nissan left the roadway, but they believed rain was one of the contributing factors.
"It could be a handful of factors, weather, driver distraction, speed -- all of these things we are looking at to come to a conclusion when the investigation is completed," FHP Sgt. Dylan Bryan said. "There are parts of U.S. 17 that are not lit by formal lighting, the area was dark in nature, and, again, with the in-climate weather at the time of the collision."
People took to Facebook to express their concerns about the road.
“That’s why I don’t like going down 17 at night. People drive way to fast and it’s very dark in spots," Kim Nettles said.
Ashley Daniels wrote, “This road has gotten very dangerous. Me and my family have had several close calls. Scary, and now I stay away from that road as much as possible.”
Florida Department of Transportation spokesperson Ron Tittle said that once the crash report and investigation is complete, they will take a look at the contributing factors to see if things need to be changed out there.
Tittle said many roads in desolate areas like that don’t have a lot of lighting.
All parties involved in the crash were wearing their seat belts, according to Bryan. Charges are pending.