Tabitha Candice Williams, 16, died Wednesday when the boat they were riding on High Rock Lake collided with a bass boat. She suffered massive blunt trauma to her head and it took divers several hours to locate her body. Her mother’s boyfriend, John Long, was driving that boat, which quickly sank.

Tiffany, 14, suffered a severe cut to her leg that was repaired during surgery Wednesday night, officials at Lexington Memorial Hospital said. She also suffered a bruised lung and three cracked ribs.

Sometime today, doctors will move Tiffany out of intensive care and into a “step down bed,” said Ed Homes, the hospital’s director of patient relations. That is a bed that is still wired with patient monitoring equipment, but it is not located in the critical care unit where she has been since Wednesday, when the accident occurred.

Tiffany’s condition is improving, Holmes said, but it is still too soon to tell how long she must stay in the hospital. Her doctors do expect a full recovery.

Long was treated and released from the hospital, suffering only minor chest injuries.

Davidson County District Attorney Garry Frank said Thursday afternoon that the investigation is continuing, and he hasn’t decided whether to file charges.

The young girl’s death caught everyone off guard and friends expect it will take a long time to get over.

Candice Williams worked at Western Steer Family Restaurant in Salisbury, and Nicole Dawson, manager of the restaurant, said all the employees are shocked.

“She will be deeply missed,” Dawson said. “She was one of our family members.”

Dawson will remember Candice for the smile she always wore and the way she interacted with customers. She had only worked at the restaurant for eight months but had made a substantial contribution in the eyes of her boss.

“She was one of the best … you didn’t have to ask her to do anything,” Dawson said.

A former relative remembers Candice as someone who was very close to her family, especially her sisters.

“I feel so awful for their mom because she is going through a hard time,” said Brandy Harrington, who used to be married to Candice’s uncle.

Harrington said the three sisters, Candice, Tiffany and twin-sister Stephanie, spent a lot of time together.

The girls and Long had just put their boat into the water when the larger bass boat driven by Al Bell of King rounded a corner traveling at least 35 mph, N.C. Wildlife Resource Commission Sgt. Tony Sharum said. The two drivers could not see each other because the cove near the landing creates a blind spot.

When the two boats collided, onlookers said that the bass boat went airborne and ripped both sides of Long’s boat, Sharum said.

Witnesses pulled Long and Tiffany Williams from the lake water but could not locate Candice.

Bell and his wife, Donna, were not injured in the accident. He is the regional director for American BassFishing Inc. and was participating in a three-day fishing tournament at High Rock Lake. Officials temporarily suspended the event, but it resumed today.

Summersett Funeral Home is expected to meet with Candice’s family later today and finalize funeral arrangements.