Second Teenage Girl Grace Brito Dies After Best Friend Elizabeth Angle Was Killed in Fatal Sledding Tragedy

A second teenage girl has died following a tragic sledding accident in Texas that claimed the life of her best friend just days earlier, authorities and family members confirmed.

The incident occurred Sunday, Jan. 25, around 2:26 p.m., when the Frisco Police Department responded to reports of juveniles injured during a sledding accident. Police previously said two 16-year-old girls suffered life-threatening injuries.

One of the girls, later identified by family as Elizabeth Angle, died shortly after the crash. Her best friend, Grace Brito, also known as Gracie, had remained on life support before passing away on Tuesday, Jan. 27, her family confirmed to CBS affiliate KTVT.

Investigators said the girls were riding on a sled being pulled by a Jeep Wrangler driven by a 16-year-old male when the sled struck a curb and crashed into a tree.

Grace’s mother, Tracy Brito, shared a statement following her daughter’s death, describing the family’s overwhelming grief.

“We are a family of four — myself, my husband, Grace and Emma,” she said, noting that Grace’s older sister is a freshman at Louisiana State University. “Our family is heartbroken and devastated by the loss of our beautiful daughter, Gracie.”

Tracy Brito remembered Grace as “a kind and generous soul, full of love, affection, and warmth,” with a quiet strength that uplifted others. She said Grace had recently earned her driver’s license and that the family plans to honor her wish to be an organ donor, a decision she had proudly made.

Grace was an All-Star cheer competitor at Express Cheer in Frisco, where her mother said she valued teamwork, encouragement, and friendship. “She was creative, strong-minded, and a very bubbly girl,” Brito said.

The family described the days following the tragedy as “unimaginably difficult,” sharing that Grace and Elizabeth were inseparable.

“She was one of Grace’s best friends,” Tracy Brito said. “They were always together at each other’s house.”

Grace Brito and Elizabeth Angle.

“We will miss her till the day we die,” she added. “She is our guardian angel now.”

Tributes have poured in for both girls. Luis Ramos, coach of an FC Dallas club team, honored Elizabeth in a Facebook post, calling her a calm and steady presence on the field.

“God called her home not in defeat, but in victory,” Ramos wrote. “Still guarding. Still strong. Now standing watch from higher ground.”

Elizabeth’s high school soccer team also shared a tribute, asking the community to keep her family, teammates, coaches, and friends in their thoughts and prayers as they grieve the devastating loss.