Off I-269 near the Laughter exit, two teens were killed after the truck they were in left the interstate for some reason and rolled multiple times Sunday night.
The Mississippi Highway Patrol identified 17-year-old Brandon Munoz and 18-year-old Santiago Giron-Rico as the crash’s casualties.
“We were all looking forward to graduating and walking that stage,” a friend said. “They were very great, amazing people.”
A friend of the trio spoke with WREG and said that they were returning home after celebrating Brandon Munoz’s 17th birthday.
“Brandon, he was a very joyful, energetic person, always loved seeing everyone around him happy,” a friend said. “He always put a smile on people’s faces.”
Now, their loved ones are left to cope with the unexpected tragedy.
“At the moment everyone is heartbroken but just trying to stay strong,” the friend said.
Another friend WREG spoke with said that Santiago Giron-Rico recently found out he was going to be a father.
Santiago Giron-Rico. (Courtesy of Christian Rodriguez)
“He was very happy to be a dad,” the friend said. “You should’ve seen the excitement on his face.”
The cause of the crash is under investigation but sadly, it’s the second deadly wreck in recent weeks involving Mississippi teenagers.
Earlier this month, Tucker Rudd , a 16-year-old DeSoto Central baseball player died in a crash in an Olive Branch neighborhood.
Tucker Rudd. (Courtesy of Tarah Rudd)
His mother described him as a determined and kind student who worked hard at everything he did.
What led to that incident is also under investigation.
Staff Sergeant Marvin Baird with the Mississippi Highway Patrol said while all deadly crashes are difficult to deal with, the ones involving young people are extra painful.
“It takes a little more out of you because we have children, I have teenagers or young adults now and anytime a parent loses a child, it’s different,” Baird said. “I tell people all the time that children are supposed to bury their parents when they’re 80 and 90-years-old but parents are never supposed to bury their children.”
He said he has a message for not teenage drivers, but all drivers.
“We need to put the cellphones down. Cell phones are killing us. We’re distracted, we’re driving faster, the vehicles are faster, cell phones are in our hands,” Baird said. “Everyone needs to be safe and in order to do that, everyone needs to wear their seatbelt.”
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