ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — To friends and family members of Sammy Lahik, the overflowing crowds at the Islamic Center of Orlando’s aging mosque Friday was a sign that the teenager was beloved by those who knew him.
As a group and individually, many said their final goodbyes to the teen, still coming to terms with his sudden death.
Lahik was one of four people killed in a crash on Central Florida Parkway Saturday evening. Troopers said the car he was a passenger in was clipped by another vehicle. Both were speeding and lost control.
Lahik’s car hit a light post and several trees before coming to a stop, troopers said.
At Windermere High School, Lahik was known as a bright student who earned a four-year scholarship to Duke University. He enjoyed studying computers and was a talented soccer player, friends said.
“Every single time I go up to him, always instantly have a smile on my face,” Ilias Baltajy said. “He was raised very well. He always knew how to talk to people with respect. He knew when to approach people. He knew how not to get people angry.”
Baltajy and the mosque’s Imam said Lahik had just attended Ramadan prayer with his father and was on his way to a pickup soccer match under the lights with his friends.
One of those friends, 19-year-old Moad Machti, was also a crash victim. He was riding in the same car as Lahik and attended the same mosque.
Imam Tariq Rasheed said Machti was funny, a good scholar of Islam, an avid basketball and soccer player, and a good friend of his daughter.
“My daughter is completely distraught,” Rasheed said. “It is a very, very tough time for our community.”
At the mosque Monday, Imam Rasheed told the congregation to slow down on the roads, reminding them that everyone has a time that is coming and to make the most of the life they’d been granted.
Religion provided comfort to the faithful -- and to the numerous Windermere students standing in the back.
“As Muslims, we believe that this is not the end for us,” Baltajy said. “We believe that this is just a pit stop and we’ll be able to see each other -- together on the other side -- the afterlife. Paradise.”
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