CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – A 6-year-old girl lost her life in a devastating crash in Coral Springs over the weekend, and a small memorial of flowers and stuffed animals now stand in her honor.
The family of Harlow Tran is grappling with unbearable grief after her passing.
According to Coral Springs police, the crash happened just after 5 p.m. at the intersection of West Sample Road and Northwest 85th Avenue.
Following the crash, chaos erupted as an SUV was split in half, the aftermath of which was caught on camera.
According to an arrest report, an officer had been trying to stop a 2023 Mercedes-Benz driven by Chevon Dalton Graham, 26, of Sunrise, for having “extremely dark tint” while driving along Sample Road.
Police said Graham, who had two passengers with him, accelerated to flee police; the officer then turned his lights and siren off, but the suspect continued speeding away.
He then slammed into a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse, police said.
That SUV had Harlow secured in a car seat inside. The arrest report states that the force of the crash split the Chevrolet in half and ejected her and the car seat.
Witnesses recounted the heartbreaking scene of the child, ejected from the car but still in her car seat amid the debris. Despite frantic efforts, Harlow later succumbed to her injuries.
Tanjina Akter described hearing a loud crash, while nearby Ring camera footage captured the initial collision and the suspect’s car coming to a stop after hitting parked cars.
Harlow’s uncle, Alvis Tran, visited the memorial and remembered Harlow as a shy girl who adored dancing and princesses like the Little Mermaid and Frozen characters.
Tran said he saw Harlow five minutes before the incident at a family BBQ and his family is devastated by the loss of his niece.
Enrique Perez, Harlow’s uncle, spoke to Local 10 News about how Graham was driving when the accident occurred.
“He was grossly negligent and driving at speeds that were fast enough to split a car in two,” Perez said.
Perez also confirmed his mother was driving Harlow when the crash occurred, and she is still in the hospital.
Police confirmed Graham was driving with a suspended license when the crash occurred and now faces charges including vehicular homicide.
Witness Germaine Knibbs expressed anguish over the innocent child’s fate.
“That is an innocent child riding with her grandmother and now her family has to live with that,” he said.
A GoFundMe has been created to support Harlow’s family at this difficult time. Click here if you would like to contribute.