CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — The hearts of the entire James River High School community are heavy as classmates, family members and administration grieve the lives of Nicholas Booth and William Hammitt, two JRHS students who were killed in a fiery car crash on Tuesday night.
On Wednesday night, James River High School students, their families, school administration and even complete strangers took to the corner of Old Gun Road West and Springcreek Drive, the site of Tuesday night’s tragic crash.
According to Chesterfield Police, the crash happened on Tuesday, April 11 just before 6 p.m. Booth and Hammitt were driving a BMW northbound on Old Gun Road West when they sped around a curb, hit a retaining wall and flipped over. The car then burst into flames.
Both teens were pronounced dead on the scene.
One day after the crash, there has been an outpouring of love came from the Rapids community.
“We will keep these families in our thoughts during this difficult time,” Principal Dr. Amanda Voelker wrote in a message sent to James River families on Wednesday night.
Many classmates are shaken after learning about Booth and Hammitt’s deaths, but are banding together for support. Members of the men’s lacrosse team gathered on the field this afternoon to honor the life of their teammates.
A post shared by the James River women’s lacrosse team showed Booth and Hammitt’s athletic numbers, 20 and 25, along with the caption “Both teams in the JRHS Lacrosse program will forever be touched by the lives of Will and Nick. Rapids Forever.”
In the aftermath of the Tuesday night crash, neighbors on Old Gun Road West are hoping drivers will slow down so another life does not have to be lost.
