Within the last month, several teenagers around the country have been involved in and died in fatal car accidents. One such fatal accident recently occurred near Youngstown Ohio and resulted in six teens being killed in a rollover accident. Based on the accounts of two teens who survived the crash, Ohio police are attempting to piece together factors that may have lead to this tragic event.
An 18-year-old boy and his 15-year-old friend were the only survivors of a fatal rollover crash that recently claimed the lives of six other teens. According to one of the surviving teens, at the time of the accident, a 19-year-old female was driving the SUV in which all eight teens were packed. The 18-year-old survivor recently told police that he cautioned the young woman to slow down as she sped towards a dangerous section of road. Rather than slow down, however, the young woman sped up.
She lost control of the SUV as it rounded a section of road appropriately known as "Dead Man's Curve". The SUV careened into a guardrail and rolled down an embankment into the freezing waters of a pond. Trapped inside the sinking vehicle, the 18-year-old boy and his 15-year-old friend were the only two teens to escape the deadly crash scene.
This accident has left many Ohio residents saddened, confused and angry as they grapple with the tragic loss of six young lives. So far, based on statements from the two survivors, police have been able to determine that excessive speed was a major contributing factor in the fatal crash. Police are currently awaiting toxicology reports that were conducted on the 19-year-old driver and five other deceased teens to determine if drugs and alcohol also played a role in the deadly crash.
News of fatal car accidents in which the lives of teens are lost, give every parent the chills. This accident and the other recent tragic accidents that have taken the lives of several teens, serve as solemn reminders to both parents and teens of the importance of following safe driving practices.
Source: WLWT, "Survivors: Woman 'driving crazy' prior to crash that killed 6," March 12, 2013