In a devastating tragedy, 17-year-old Sanaa Vil, a senior at Sherwood High School in Brookeville, Maryland, lost her life in a car accident while driving two friends to school.
The fatal crash on Oct. 2, took place near Norwood Road and Ashton Forest Way in Sandy Spring. Sanaa, known for her selflessness, was acting as a Good Samaritan, offering her friends a ride that morning when she lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a telephone pole.
Her friends, both 17 years old, were critically injured in the accident and had to be rescued from the wreckage before being transported to the hospital.
“She was always helping others,” Sanaa’s father shared during a memorial service. “God knew why He gave her to us.”
Sanaa was a vibrant and involved student, excelling both academically and athletically.
She was a varsity basketball player, a member of the Black Student Union, and a dedicated musician in the school band.
Her basketball team and friends remembered her as a bright spirit, with one teammate stating:
“She was an instant flood of light in the darkest of rooms.”
Her dedication and love for basketball inspired dreams of a future professional career, and she aspired to work for the FBI, with hopes of providing a better life for her father, a driving instructor.
Sanaa’s sudden death has left a deep void in the lives of her family, friends, and teammates.
A GoFundMe page has been established to help her family cover funeral expenses, honoring the life and legacy of a young woman whose kindness and ambition touched everyone around her.