MILWAUKEE — Investigators believe speed played a role when a car crashed into a home near 48th and Locust on Sunday, killing its 17-year-old driver.
The family identifies the boy as Cornelius Travis.
"The pain I'm enduring I wouldn’t wish on nobody," said his mother, Shanena Harper.
Harper says her life will never be the same after losing her boy.
"He never even got a chance to live his life," Harper said. "He was supposed to graduate high school this year. I never got a chance to see my son go to prom."
Sunday morning Cornelius's life was cut short. Milwaukee Police say the driver was traveling at a high rate of speed when he lost control and crashed into a home on the corner of 48th and Locust.
Harper said her son was driving home from the store in his friend's new car, which she admitted was unusual. She believes something in the car malfunctioned as her son was switching gears.
"I'm assuming by the time he was coming down Locust he tried to switch gears, because the young lady said that she saw him trying to stop, she said the car slowed down, and then it sped right back up," Harper said.
Harper stressed her son was a safe driver. She said he drove her around after she says she was hurt in a hit-and-run in August.
Still, she is begging people to take it easy on the roads because it might save your life or the life of someone you love.
"Make sure you know about a vehicle, make sure you are not driving recklessly, because you're going to end up killing yourself, somebody else," Harper said. "There are too many innocent people out here. I watch people run red lights, just dart out, and I'm just saying slow down, slow down, because the pain I'm enduring I wouldn’t wish it on nobody."
Cornelius was the father of a baby who will turn one in a few weeks. Cornelius had eight siblings.
