LEON COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) — Shocked would be the best word to describe the emotions many are feeling with the deaths of two Thomasville teenagers.
"We at the sheriff's office send our sympathy and just... there are no words to say," said Captain Steven Jones with the Thomas County Sheriff's office.
No words can describe how the families of 18-year-old Sean Landers and 16-year-old Josh Broome are feeling after the two were killed in a car accident on U.S. 319 Saturday morning.
"Anytime there's a fatal crash, it affects you," said Cpt. Jones. "Whether they're from your community, they're from another state, another country... a life was taken and in this case, two lives were taken."
Both of the teens attended Thomas County schools.
The district issued this Statement Monday saying, "We are very saddened when we learned the news of the tragic accident that occurred this past weekend. Our thoughts go out to both families for their loss and they will forever remain in our prayers."
"Our hearts going out to them, prayers... it's tough for any community to go through," Cpt. Jones explained.
People on social media have also shared their thoughts and given condolences to the family, proving that when a tragedy happens, the whole community grieves.
A balloon release is in the works for later this week. The community is encouraged to hang trinkets on the tree where the crash happened in honor of the teens' memory.
Funeral services for the 16-year-old will be held Saturday, June 22, at Whiddon Shiver Funeral Home at 11 a.m. Visitation is from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Services for Landers will be held Wednesday, June 19, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Allen and Allen in Thomasville.
A memorial balloon release will be held to commemorate the life of Broome. It will be held at Cherokee Lake Park on June 21 at 6 p.m. Balloons will be provided with markers for messages.
Multiple crews responding to Highway 319 early Saturday morning. Troopers say when they got there, though, it was too late.
Authorities are still trying to figure out what exactly happened that caused a car to swerve into a tree and kill two Thomasville teens.
Police say 18-year-old Sean Landers was behind the wheel. His dad, Tom, tells me he was a well-behaved, very loved kid. Tom considered his son his mechanic and taught him everything he ever knew about cars.
Landers was with a 16-year-old passenger. That teen's family says the boy's death comes as a shock and wish for him to remain unnamed.
A balloon release is in the works for later this week.
As both families continue to grieve privately, the place where the crash happened is collecting tokens of remembrance.
Now, the community is honoring the two teenagers with a memorial where flowers, a balloon and a flag are now resting in its place.
The Landers are still trying to raise money for funeral arrangements, too. If you'd like to lend a hand, click here to donate to the family's GoFundMe account.
Car split in half after Leon County crash, two teens killed
Two Thomasville teens are dead after a crash in Leon County, just north of Tallahassee.
The Florida Highway Patrol says the crash happened on Thomasville Road (U.S. 319) Saturday morning around 6:45 a.m.
They say a 2008 Nissan Altima driven by 18-year-old Sean Landers of Thomasville was going north on Thomasville Road near Horseshoe Plantation Road when the car traveled off the road. The car then traveled into the grassy median where it spun out of control and crashed into a nearby tree.
Troopers say the impact of the crash caused the car to separate in two, the rear portion coming to a rest on its hood.
Landers was partially ejected from the vehicle during the crash. FHP reports both Landers and his 16-year-old male passenger were pronounced dead on the scene and their families were notified. The 16-year-old passenger, who's also from Thomasville, has not been identified by FHP.
At this time, an investigation into the crash is still ongoing.
The Florida Highway Patrol was assisted on scene by Leon County Sheriff’s Office and Leon County EMS.
