FAIRFIELD, S.C. — A high school student and 10-year-old are dead after a Memorial Day crash in Fairfield County.
The victims were 17-year-old Christopher "CJ" Simmons Jr and 10-year-old Jermiia Scarborough both cousins. Jermiia was a 4th grade student at Fairfield Central Elementary, and Simmons was a two-sport student athlete at Fairfield Central High School.
Shaq Young, a physical education teacher at Fairfield Central Middle School and a coach at Fairfield Central High School, knew CJ for several years and says he was one of a kind.
“He was unbelievable if you could make or mold a kid the way you want to be it would be CJ Simmons," Young says. "He was my guy if I needed to talk to all of my guys I would talk to CJ and he would talk to the other guys, he was a leader."
Troopers say Simmons was driving a four-wheeler down West Peach Road in Fairfield when a car collided with them as it tried to make a left turn. Jermiia was in the passenger seat.
CJ was pronounced dead at the scene and Jermia died at the hospital Tuesday morning.
Fairfield School District superintendent JR Green encourages the community to come together during this difficult time.
"I know that the young people in this community are really trying to figure out why these things occur, and the reality is that we don’t have answers to give them other than we are faithful and I remind them to celebrate the life and legacy of anyone that has departed." Green said.
The driver of the car that collided with Simmons and Scarborough was not injured as a result of the crash.
An investigation is still ongoing.