SILSBEE, Texas — "We thought that of course he left too soon, and he had a lot of life to live, but God needed him more so we had to give him up." This is what a heartbroken family is saying as they mourn the sudden loss of a Silsbee teenager.
Jaquez Carter died in a Monday morning wreck. He was a junior at Silsbee High School.
"The sun was bright to where it was blinding drivers," Courtney Johnson, Carter's cousin, said. "And he was trying to pull out like he was going to school, and he was struck by an 18-wheeler."
Silsbee Police responded to Highway 327 West at the intersection of South 21st Street in Silsbee after receiving a call about a crash. Officers believe Carter was driving a 2012 Mazda east on Highway 327 approaching the intersection, and a man was driving a 2018 Peterbilt tractor truck west on Highway 327 nearing the intersection.
The Peterbilt was carrying a retracted pole trailer, “piggyback” style.
Police believe Carter attempted to turn north onto South 21st Street from Highway 327 and was hit on his passenger's side by the Peterbilt, according to a Silsbee Police Department release.
At the age of 17, Carter was pronounced dead at the scene.
Carter's family and friends spent Tuesday evening consoling each other at his grandmother's house.
"I came to hug his grandma, his mother, his aunts, and I just broke down when I saw his little brother," Mari Elam, Carter's bestfriend, said.
Elam and Carter had been best friends since they were 2 years old. Carter's death came as a devastating shock to Elam, and he is saddened by the fact that all he has left is memories of the two playing football together.
"We chilled. He left. I said I love you, then Monday morning came. I got the call," Elam said. "I was devastated. He just wanted to laugh. He had a big smile. He wanted to smile all day."
Those how knew and loved Carter described him as a quiet teen who had a big smile. The teen's loved ones said the pain of losing him cannot be put into words.
"We lost somebody that was like an angel," Johnson said. "It was just something different it was the perfect day, the weather, the sun, just over-powering. That was our signal that God was saying hey I took an angel home today."
Silsbee Independent School District Head Coach Randy Smith and Principal Scott Schwartz remember Carter as a good student and a powerhouse on the field.
"He always came and shook my hand and told me to, 'Have a good day coach,' and, 'See you later,'" Smith said. "He's somebody we're really going to miss"
The district released a statement Monday saying in part, "Our Tiger family is mourning the loss of one of our own. Losing a friend, a leader, a brother, and a teammate is never easy, and we are deeply saddened by this loss."
Carter's family and friends said healing will take time as they try to come to terms with their loss.
"When God is ready, he's ready," Johnson said. "So now, we're just trying to go through the grieving process and look at the positive and good memories of him."
The family is still planning Carter's funeral service and wanted to thank Hardin County community members for the amount of love and support they have received.
