A second teenager has died following a devastating four-car rollover crash in Pompano Beach that claimed the life of a 16-year-old driver on Friday.
Seventeen-year-old Richard Grable III succumbed to severe brain injuries on Sunday, his father confirmed. Grable was among five teenagers riding in a Mercedes Benz when the vehicle collided with a Toyota Sienna driven by an 82-year-old man making a left turn.
The collision caused the Mercedes to flip and strike two other vehicles. The 16-year-old driver died at the hospital shortly after the crash. The teens, some of whom attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School, were returning from an outing when the incident occurred.
A prayer service was held Monday at St. Thomas Aquinas, where students and faculty gathered to honor the victims. “This is a painful day for our entire community,” said Juan Di Prado of the Archdiocese of Miami. “We are all in mourning.”
Grable’s father described his son as a kind-hearted young man who loved football, surfing, and video games. He was a student at Fort Lauderdale High School.
Bystander Danny Morillo, who witnessed the crash, heroically attempted to flip the burning car back onto its wheels to help trapped passengers. “We kept going, we kept going,” he said, displaying his burn injuries sustained during the rescue attempt.
Authorities are still investigating the crash. Excessive speed is suspected to have played a role.
