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A 14-year-old girl, identified as Fortune Williams, died in an accident after a speeding car crashed into a UPS truck in Queens, New York. As per multiple news reports, Williams was being driven by another teenager, 16, who was unlicensed, who collided with a parked truck, which caused a series of crashes, authorities state.
The incident occurred on May 17, 2023, at around 6:40 pm in the Springfield Gardens neighborhood of Queens and involved at least three vehicles, as per the New York Police Department.
According to the New York Post, authorities and the family of Williams shared that she was riding in a red BMW with a 16-year-old boy with a learner's permit and were at a "high rate of speed."
Reportedly, the driver lost control and collided with a parked delivery truck, forcing it to leap the curb and knock down a UPS driver. NBC New York reports that the driver was not seriously hurt, but Fortune Williams was pronounced dead at the scene. A witness said:
"The car was coming basically maybe 90-100 mph."
Fortune Williams' family started a fundraiser for her funeral expenses
As per NBC New York, Fortune Williams' mother, Keisha Francis remembered her late daughter in a heartwrenching statement issued to the publication. She said:
"My beautiful, smart daughter. She was very beautiful, smart, loving, kind, caring, sweet. Everything that’s good. A mother would want. She loved music. She loved to dance and she wanted to be a doctor and in high school she was doing nursing."
She also shared that she spoke to Fortune before she died in the car crash and ended the conversation just like they did every other time.
"When I was hanging up she said, 'Mom I love you.' Everyday. Every morning. She tell me she loved me. She’s just caring. She’s a good kid. Very good kid. I’m just so shocked."
On May 18, a family friend of the deceased named Florence M set up a GoFundMe fundraiser for Keisha Francis to raise money for the mourning mother. Florence said she had been making Fortune's since she was in middle school. Describing the 14-year-old further, the post read:
"She [Fortune Williams] was well mannered, hard working, very caring towards her siblings and always had a secret to tell me when ever I saw her. She was filled with teenage wit and a youthful glamour only she could carry. She loved fashion, fried chicken and helping her mommy in the kitchen."
So far, the GoFundMe has raised $5,066 out of its $50,000 goal.
While speaking with NBC New York, Keisha Francis also shared that she went to the crash site a day after the accident and found Fortune Williams' jewelry on the ground.
"I go back to the spot to see if I could find my daughter. Because...this can’t be real. And then I find her bracelet and I find another bracelet. My life will never be the same, it will never be the same. I don’t know what will become of me after this because I can not live without my Fortune...I don’t know what I’m going to do without her.”
As of writing, it's not clear if the 16-year-old unlicensed driver will be charged or not. Currently, he is in the hospital but is expected to survive the incident.
