JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A friend is speaking out about a 14-year-old boy who was killed in a crash Sunday.
“When I heard the news, I broke down crying, I couldn’t do nothing but cry,” said Ya’Kyjha Maddox.
It’s hard listening to a 14-year-old talk about losing her best friend.
“Earl, I love you to death,” Maddox said.
With the permission of her mother, Ya’Kyjha Maddox wanted to let everyone know about 14-year-old Earl Green Jr. – and the impact he had on her life.
“He helped me with all my algebra 1, where if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be at Stanton (College Preparatory School),” she said.
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On Sunday, police said Green died in a head-on collision on Norwood Avenue. One car flipped over and another was damaged. Officers freed one person from that car who was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. Maddox said that’s Green's father. Police said three other people had injuries that weren’t serious.
Police said it appeared that the driver of one of the cars tried to make a pass in a no-passing zone when they collided with the front end of another car.
“I’m constantly watching because I don’t want to get in an accident or anything,” said Mary Dennis, a neighbor.
While police haven’t said if speed was a factor, Dennis said it happens too often.
“It’s a whole bunch of speeding going on and people are not having any type of consideration, like, "What if I hit someone?” Dennis said.
Action News Jax contacted JSO to see how many crashes there were this year on Norwood Avenue. When we get that number, we will update this story.
Maddox said her friend had big dreams.
“He was the best basketball player you could ever have -- shoot three's -- he was a star player over there at Northwestern Middle School. I’d do anything to bring you back,” Maddox said.
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