‘Precious girl’ dies in crash on 17th birthday, loved ones say. ‘My heart is shattered’
A high school student died on her 17th birthday in a head-on car crash, Alabama police and her family said.
Now, Dakota Graves is “forever 17,” her mother wrote. “Happy birthday in heaven.”
At around noon on Feb. 28, Graves was riding in a pickup truck when it collided with a Chevrolet work truck, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Graves died at the scene, deputies said.
Two women in the truck with her were taken to a hospital, along with one of the men in the work truck, deputies said. None had life-threatening injuries.
Graves’ family described her as a “goofy” person with a “contagious smile.”
“My heart was crushed today when I got the news that this precious girl left this earth,” a family friend wrote on Facebook. “I saw her a couple days ago and she gave me the biggest hug and said ‘it’s almost my birthday.’”
Counseling staff at Mortimer Jordan High School are available to support those affected by the loss, AL.com reported.
“Our hearts are broken today for the family of Dakota Graves,” Jefferson County Schools Superintendent Walter Gonsoulin wrote in a statement shared with WBRC. “They are in my prayers, along with the Mortimer Jordan family and all of Dakota’s friends. We have been reminded too often this school year how fleeting life can be.”
Graves got a shout out on her school’s daily announcements on Feb. 28 for her birthday.
“Dakota was such a light and was the sweetest little girl,” another Facebook user wrote. “She never failed to give me the biggest hugs after games and it didn’t matter how bad I did she would always tell me I did amazing. I will always remember her kind and precious heart.”
The Jefferson County Traffic Accident Reconstruction Team is investigating the circumstances of the crash.
“This hurts and my heart is shattered,” her uncle wrote on Facebook. “I want to wake up from this nightmare.”
Mortimer Jordan High School is in Kimberly, about 20 miles north of downtown Birmingham.
This story was originally published February 29, 2024 at 6:41 PM with the headline "‘Precious girl’ dies in crash on 17th birthday, loved ones say. ‘My heart is shattered’."