Brittany Hiatt Tribute

A vehicle speeding along a section of Highway 74 Bypass in Richmond County at 90 mph crashed Tuesday afternoon, killing three people from Mount Airy, North Carolina troopers said.

Troopers said a 1999 GMC Jimmy driven by Justin Andrew Tate, 21, was traveling west in a 70 mph zone when he lost control, overcorrected and flipped four to five times before sliding down an embankment.

Tate and 22-year-old Brittany Nicole Hiatt were ejected from the vehicle. Tate and, 21-year-old Crystal Nicole Newsome, died at the scene.

Hiatt was taken to a local hospital where she later died.

Hiatt's drivers license listed an Evansville, Ga., address. However, her mother lives in Mount Airy. Hiatt was a student at Augusta College. Police said all three victims were from in and around Mount Airy.

Hiatt and Newsome were friends for years growing up in the Mount Airy area. Their friends, Holly Collins and Tierraha Dell, said they're struggling to deal with the harsh reality.

"They were full of life," one friend said. "I don't know what else to say. They were great people. They loved everybody. They were very caring. They had the biggest hearts in the world. All they wanted to do was help people."

Hiatt had come back to Mount Airy for the summer, family said. She and Crystal worked together at the Ruby Tuesday in Mount Airy.

Dale Bowman is Justin Tate's uncle - Dan Bowman, Tate's uncle, said he and his nephew had a hard life dealing with the death of his father and his little sister, but he was close to his remaining family, especially his grandmother.

"He never left that house without telling her, 'I love you.' That's what's hurting her so bad. He didn't get to talk to her. I don't care when it was, what it was -- when they talked, he said, 'I love you, grandma.'"

John Lewis said he knew Tate since they were 5 or 6 years old.

"He didn't have kids yet," Lewis said. "He had his whole life in front of him. He was a real smart dude. He would've been somebody."