JOELTON, Tenn. -- They stopped on Forest Crossing in Joelton Friday afternoon searching for understanding but they left with broken hearts.
“It's such a big shock to everyone right now and you can't even believe someone like Mickey is gone ,” 17-year-old Thomas Ozburn said.
For Thomas and his friends it didn't seem real until they came to this spot, the place where their friend Mickey Martin was killed Thursday afternoon.
“I don't know what it was like in that car, but it wasn't good,” he added.
Officials said they believe Mickey fell asleep on his way home from football practice. Two other teens, Brant Lawless and Mareio McGraw, were injured in the crash but later released from hospital.
“You hear accident you think how badly are they hurt,” said his coach Jeff Brothers.
“If a coach is a father figure then I've lost a son figure, if teammates are brothers than that's what we lost, it's tough,” he said holding back tears.
The 17-year-old was respected on the field because he was loved off the field; he was days away from starting his Junior year at Nashville Christian Academy.
“We miss the brightness and the smile and the joy, nobody loved other people like Mickey did,” Coach Brothers said.
As a coach, Jeff Brother's has dealt with losing before, but there have been no play books on how to deal with a loss like this.
“We just have to love on each other, that's all we can do,” the coach said.
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