SPOKANE -- A Tekoa High School student who was one day shy of his 18th birthday was killed late Tuesday night in a crash north of Latah in south Spokane County.

Zachary Smith was driving his family's Chevy Tahoe on Wheeler Road when he lost control of the SUV, crossed over the roadway and went into a ditch and rolled the vehicle. Smith was not wearing a seat belt and was killed almost instantly. He was found about 25 feet away from the vehicle.

Spokane County Sheriff's deputies say that he may have been speeding in the 45 mile per hour zone he was driving in which caused him to lose control and crash.

Zach, who was just one day shy of his 18th birthday when he died, was a senior at Tekoa High School. He also is the second student in this year’s 14-member senior class to have died in a car crash in the last six months. Another student, Brandon Hay, was killed in a car crash in southern Kootenai County on July 7th.

Brandon Hay was Zach Smith's best friend and Lori Hay, Brandon’s mom, knows all too well what Zach’s family is going through right now.

“It just doesn't feel like it can be real at all,” she said Tuesday. “Half of Tekoa ... probably all of Tekoa was up last night.”

The sad thing was that the two best friends died under similar circumstances. Both died in car crashes. Neither of them were wearing seat belts.

When they were both alive they had been inseparable friends. Zach was the student body president, an athlete, involved in Future Farmers of America.

“Zach was a character the sweetest-always happy, always smiling nice to everyone, the perfect kid,” Lori Hay said.

Brandon meanwhile was a talented musician and a wild child. Lori says in the months since Brandon's death Zach has been one of her biggest supports.

“I feel like he's carried me,” she said.

Both boys lived life beyond the seventeen years they were here.

“Just wanted to do everything, experience everything then never had enough time,” Hay said.

If there's any comfort to be found in Tekoa Lori says it’s that the two best friends have been reunited in heaven.

“It’s going to take a while for this community to heal, it's a pretty big blow,” she said.

This Friday is the high school’s final football game of the year and senior night as well. It’s a game that Zach Smith was supposed to play in but so far the school has not decided whether or not to cancel the game or play on.