MARGATE, Fla. – The driver of the car that smashed into a tree in Margate on early Christmas morning may have equipped the modified Honda Civic with a nitrous oxide tank to help boost its speed.
24-year-old Craig Williams, and his passenger, 19-year-old Reyana Lobban of Lauderhill, were killed when officials say the Civic veered off the road and slammed into a tree. Firefighters believe the vehicle was speeding at the time of the accident.
Williams’ uncle, Wilber Ebanks, told Local 10 that building cars was his nephew’s hobby. Ebanks had a picture of the souped-up car on his cellphone that he showed Local 10. He said Williams rebuilt the Honda Civic from scratch.
The crash took place at approximately 1 a.m. Wednesday on Royal Palm Boulevard off 441. Williams’ family said the two had just left a holiday party.
Lobban, who was the passenger in the car, had started at FIU this summer as a nursing student after graduating from Blanche Ely High School, according to family members.
Parts from the Civic were strewn all over the road as investigators collected pieces to determine the cause of the accident.
Local 10 is working on confirming with police what role the nitrous oxide modification may have played, or if it was a factor, in the crash. Experts say when nitrous is injected into an engine, it results in an increase in fuel being added. A driver pushes a button to give the car the extra boost. The sudden increase in oxygen boosts the fuel’s combustion and makes the engine more powerful.