Grandfather visits memorial as family struggles to arrange burial after Deerfield Beach crash kills 4-year-old

An 18-year-old motorcycle driver and a 4-year-old girl have died following a violent crash in Deerfield Beach on Saturday night that also left five other family members hospitalized, according to authorities and family.

The crash occurred in the 4100 block of Hillsboro Blvd. as a Nissan carrying six family members was making a U-turn. The Broward Sheriff's Office reported that 18-year-old Maxwell Patel of Parkland was traveling westbound on a motorcycle when he broadsided the vehicle.

Patel was killed in the impact. The 4-year-old girl was rushed to the hospital in critical condition but later died from her injuries.

Witness Chuck Trice described hearing the motorcycle shortly before the crash.

"You could hear the motor full blast until it hit the car," Trice said. "And then dead blank."

The five other occupants of the car—the deceased girl's parents, an aunt, and two children ages 7 and 8—were rushed to Broward Health and remain hospitalized.

On Monday, the child's grandfather, Alexa Varela, visited a roadside memorial marked with orange balloons and candles at the scene of the wreck.

"I don't know how to go day by day with so much pain," Varela said. "She is so special, so smart… A princess."

Varela said the family had been on their way to pick up dinner. "All the babies were happy, but there was no time to eat," he said.

The surviving family members sustained severe injuries. According to the organizer of a fundraiser set up to cover funeral costs and medical expenses, the girl's aunt suffered a broken neck, skull fracture, and dislocated discs. The girl's mother suffered severe arm and leg fractures.

"My daughter had two surgeries yesterday, and I think more today and tomorrow," Varela said.

With both parents remaining in the hospital, Varela noted the family is struggling to make arrangements to lay his granddaughter to rest.

"We need to find a way to bury her. They won't release the baby," Varela said. "Only God can give me the strength to go on with my life."