2nd Teen on Sled Pulled by Jeep Dies

A Texas teen placed on life support after a Sunday sledding crash that killed her friend has died from her injuries. Family identified her as 16-year-old cheerleader Grace Brito, best friend of fellow victim 16-year-old Elizabeth Angle. "She was a selfless person who always wanted to make others smile and happy," mom Tracy Brito tells KDFW, noting she will hopefully save lives as an organ donor. "I find some comfort knowing they are in heaven together," adds Elizabeth's mom, Megan. Police said the girls were on a sled being towed by a vehicle driven by a 16-year-old boy when the sled struck a curb, then a tree. In a Wednesday update, police said there was "no indication of alcohol involvement," per Fox News.

Snow day fun in a North Texas neighborhood turned tragic over the weekend, leaving a high school sophomore dead and another girl fighting for her life. Police in Frisco say a 16-year-old boy was driving a Jeep while towing the two 16-year-old girls on a sled on Sunday when the sled struck a curb and slammed into a tree, per FOX 4. NBC 5 has doorbell footage of what appears to be the teens being pulled by the Jeep just seconds before the accident took place. Both girls were rushed to the hospital in critical condition, per FOX 4. One, identified by family as Wakeland High School student and soccer player Elizabeth Angle, didn't survive. The other teen, described by Angle's mother as her daughter's best friend, is said to be on life support. Prosecutors in Denton County will decide whether any charges are warranted as the investigation continues.

Elizabeth, a member of Wakeland's girls soccer team and an FC Dallas club squad, had recently earned her driver's license and was out enjoying the rare icy day, her mother says. On social media, her mother called her "a bright light, a fun spirit, a brave soul" and wrote that "we will never be the same," adding that she took comfort in knowing people were with her daughter in her final moments. Friends, relatives, and neighbors have built a memorial in the neighborhood. The Dallas Morning News notes that Frisco schools remain closed Tuesday due to the weather, but the district plans to honor Elizabeth once classes resume and will provide support services for students and staff.

The crash comes amid a spike in weather-related injuries. Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth reports treating nearly three dozen kids since the weekend for sledding injuries—some as young as 2—with broken bones, head and facial trauma, and internal injuries. "This is not snow that we have here in Texas; this is ice," says Dr. Taylor Louden, the hospital's emergency services medical chief, warning that head impacts can be "catastrophic." The hospital is urging parents to insist on helmets, warning against sleds pulled by motor vehicles or improvised sleds like pool equipment, and advising sledders to steer clear of streets and obstacles.