Friends of Jeremy "Norton" Smith said the 20-year-old UF student loved nothing more than caring for his fully restored 1967 Ford Mustang and playing basketball with friends.
Smith shared his fixations with his best friend from high school, college roommate and fellow Mustang owner, Kyle Edward Hughes, a 21-year-old business administration senior.
Smith died Saturday in a car crash that also left Hughes critically injured.
Smith, a landscape architecture junior, was riding with Hughes westbound on Durant Road near Plant City, Fla., when Hughes apparently lost control and swerved into the opposite lane.
J.D. Callaway, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office spokesman, said the car was struck by a 2000 Dodge Dakota driven by Plant City native Harrell Buckner Jr., 50. Smith died at the scene, and Hughes and Buckner were airlifted to the hospital, Callaway said.
Monday afternoon Buckner was in fair condition, and Hughes was in critical condition.
Philip Davis, economics senior at UF, attended Durant High School with Smith and Hughes. Davis said Smith, his roommate of three years, was an avid Michigan sports fan and most importantly, a dependable friend.
He said he called Smith to help him jumpstart his car one day in a Sam's Club parking lot. Even though he was in class, Smith, the resident car expert, came to his rescue.
Becky Hunter, UF packaging science senior, said while Smith was nicknamed "Norton" by one of his friends, Hunter called him "Norty cakes" just to tease him.
"That used to bug him so much," she said. "I bet he secretly loved it."
Hughes's sister, Katie, 17, said a visitation for Smith will be held 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Southern Funeral Care.
A funeral service will be held Thursday at the funeral center at 10 a.m.
Meanwhle, Hughes is stable but unconscious, Katie said.
He has a fractured lower spine and a fractured pelvis, but doctors are most concerned with keeping pressure off of his brain to avoid permanent damage, she said.
Anthony Blanc, UF finance senior, said he and Hughes played on intramural basketball and flag football teams since meeting in their sophomore years of college.
Blanc said he hopes to have his friend with the most hustle back in time to catch rebounds in the fall.
"I know he's going to be out there playing basketball with us," he said.
