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Teen's fascination with cars leads to tragedy

William Houghton fulfilled his dream of getting a license. But careless driving brought the dream to an abrupt end.

By EMILY NIPPS
Published August 21, 2005

NEW TAMPA - Months before William Houghton was old enough to drive, he bought a 1992 BMW coupe with money he earned himself.

He couldn't drive it without his license, so he'd sit in his car in the driveway and listen to the radio. He washed and waxed the car constantly and fretted about its well-being when his father had to borrow it.

Houghton turned 16 on May 27 and finally got his license. For a boy who couldn't wait to get on the road by himself, it must have seemed like life was just beginning.

But on Saturday, Aug. 13, at 3:53 a.m., that life ended when he crashed his BMW into a guardrail and light pole at Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and State Road 54 in Wesley Chapel. Houghton was speeding and wasn't wearing his seat belt, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. He was thrown from the car, which caught on fire and rolled on top of him.

The news devastated those who knew Houghton, and it rattled his fellow students at Wharton High School, which had not had a student death since it opened in 1997. After speaking with Houghton's parents, Wharton principal George Gaffney announced the news over the intercom Monday morning.

"There was kind of a dull feeling all day, like they (students and teachers) were just frozen and couldn't believe it," said teacher Raoul Zayas, who had Houghton in a TV production class last year. "Every once in awhile, a kid would just start crying for no reason.

"He was just a good, middle-of-the-road kind of guy. I think that's why it hit so hard here."

Houghton began working as a bagger and cashier at Winn-Dixie when he was 15 and picked up a second job in June caring for children in Pride Elementary School's summer and afterschool programs.

Pride Elementary's school psychologist was present when an afterschool teacher broke the news to the children. Several of the children began crying.

"One kid asked, "Is Mr. Will in heaven now?' and another one asked if he was coming back," said Shanika Abdullah, who runs Pride's afterschool program and also teaches at Wharton.

"He really liked the kids and he was kind of a kid himself. The parents (of the children) were devastated."

Crystal Evans, a friend who used to work with Houghton at Pride, was with Houghton the night of his accident. The two played poker at a friend's house, and the 23-year-old remembered his talking about going to college and planning his future.

Houghton drove Evans home around 12:30 a.m., she said, and she called him around 2:30 a.m. to make sure he got home safely. He told her he was home, but sometime after that he must have gone back out.

"It's kind of a mystery," Evans said. "No one knows what he was doing."

Hundreds packed St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church for Houghton's memorial service on Wednesday night, where the teen was remembered as a boy who loved climbing trees, rescuing his mother from snakes and spoiling his dog, Heidi.

"He was so funny," said Mathew Aukerman, Houghton's friend of 10 years. "He always had a little smile on his face, like he was up to something."

Two of Houghton's friends got tattoos to honor "Billiam," a nickname Houghton's 18-year-old brother Joe gave him.

Born in Tampa, Houghton attended La Petite Academy, Hunter's Green Elementary and Benito Middle schools and was part of a close circle of friends that called themselves the "Pebble Creek Posse."

Houghton's father, Robert, works for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and his mother, Betty Ann, works in the bakery at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in New Tampa.

They've relied on counseling and visiting friends and family to help them get through the week and have been overwhelmed by a flood of food, letters and flowers, some coming from strangers.

They realize, though, that the visitors and flowers won't always be there to comfort them, and getting on with their lives will be difficult.

"It's like living in a bad nightmare," Betty Ann said. "Every morning, the sun rises and I thank God for my two sons - one in spirit and one in body."

Memories of Houghton, especially the funny ones, have also helped the family deal with their pain. When Houghton was about 4 or 5 years old, he went through a phase where he called 911 so many times, police threatened to impose a $500 fine, Betty Ann said.

"I asked him why he kept calling 911," she said. "And he said, "I want to invite the police over for a picnic on Saturday.' "

Houghton also slept in three different race car beds as a little boy. He was picky and didn't like the first two beds, but was finally satisfied with the last one because it had a spoiler on it.

Houghton's parents are in the process of setting up the Bill Houghton Driver Training Memorial Fund, which they hope will pay for other teenagers to attend an advanced driver training school.

Certain schools offer training beyond the typical driver's education class and are aimed at teaching drivers how to recover from skidding and other obstacles.

It's a fitting cause in memory of a boy who collected issues of AutoWeek magazine and loved the short time he was able to drive. He dreamed of one day buying a new model BMW, or maybe a Bentley.

"Now he can ride around in any car he wants up there," Betty Ann said.

Emily Nipps can be reached at 813 269-5313 or nipps@sptimes.com

[Last modified August 19, 2005, 19:26:02]