BROOKEVILLE, Maryland — Family, friends and teammates said their final goodbyes Saturday to a 17-year-old Maryland high school student who died in a tragic car crash on her way to school.
Sanaa Vil, a senior at Sherwood High School in Montgomery County, was killed Oct. 2 after losing control of her car and colliding with a wooden telephone pole near Norwood Road and Ashton Forest Way in Sandy Spring.
According to her father, Sanaa had picked up two friends that morning and was driving them all to school. Her passengers, also 17-year-olds, were extricated from the car by Montgomery County Police and Fire Rescue and transported to a nearby hospital in critical condition.
“It’s because she was a good Samaritan, she picked up her first friend, the second. She was doing the work of a good Samaritan. God knew why he gave her.” her father said.
Sanaa played varsity basketball at Sherwood High School and was an active member of the Black Student Union and school band. Teammates said she was a friend you could count on.
“I’m so happy I got to spend time with her. I know she’s okay and at peace now,” Adrianna Nnabue, one of Sanaa's teammates, said.
In a heartfelt post on X, formerly Twitter, the Sherwood High School girls' basketball team described Sanaa as an "instant flood of light in the darkest of rooms." One of the passengers injured in the crash is also a member of the team.
Sanaa's family said she dreamed of playing professional basketball and working for the FBI. Her goal was to provide for her hard-working father who is a driving school instructor of over 25 years.
“She said, dad, I see you wake up early to go to that driving school. You work too hard. When I get there. I will make enough money so you never have to work again. That held my heart,” her father said.
Sanaa leaves behind four siblings and two loving parents.
The family has a GoFundMe page set up to help defer the cost of funeral expenses.