Remembering the lives of 2 Abilene teens who died in Eastland County crash
ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – On Thursday, March 21, three Abilene teens were involved in a crash that took place in Eastland County just a few miles east of Ranger that took the lives of 18-year-old Brandon Woods and 18-year-old Annabelle Neely and their unborn child. The other passenger, 19-year-old Kaiden Newby seriously injured.
2 Abilene teens killed, 1 injured in Eastland Co. wreck on wet road
Now, their families are mourning the lives of these two teens. Brandon’s dad, Sean Woods, shared that Brandon was his oldest son. He always spent time with his younger siblings and worked hard to provide for his soon-to-be-young family. While he mourns his son, he also mourns his grandchild. Just this past Sunday, they celebrated and had a baby shower. The pair and their friend were driving from Dallas to Abilene after picking up baby supplies.
“It was a boy; they were going to name him Kenzo Sean Woods. He was so excited to go get it, like getting more excited about Kenzo getting here, and Bella was too. I have pictures of her glowing at the baby shower and Brandon just in the corner laughing,” explained Woods.
Annabelle’s aunt, Patty Hughes, said she has known Anabelle since she was a little girl. She enjoyed her antics as a child and admired how she loved spending time outdoors skateboarding and being with her brothers.
“She was so excited she couldn’t wait. She was going to go baby clothes shopping. She was excited, and I think she would have been a great mom. She cared for her family. There is nothing she wouldn’t do for her little brother,” added Hughes.
Anabelle’s 10-year-old brother Matthew Neely shared some words about his sister.
“I always called her Banana Belle because it rhymed with Anabelle, and she just hated it, so that’s why I kept calling her that… I love how she was always there for me and how beautiful she was,” shared Matthew.
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The family is now finding comfort in the memories made. Woods encourages parents and teen drivers to be cautious and to spend more time practicing behind the wheel.
“We’d hang out, talk, and joke. He’d tell me how his day was… just recently, he came to show me how proud he was he got his first car,” said Woods. “Give them a little bit more experience in driving. Don’t make everything online. Give them some in depth. You can drive with your family and whatnot, but it’s not the same as actually having real-world stuff.”
The deaths came as a shock for both families, and GoFundMe pages have been created to help Neely’s and Wood’s families with funeral arrangements.
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