Police say speed, not alcohol or drugs, was a key factor in a crash that killed six of eight teenagers in an SUV headed down an Ohio roadway on Sunday.
The vehicle slammed into a guardrail and flipped into a pond on a road near Warren, about 60 miles east of Cleveland. Five boys and the young woman who was driving were killed.
The two boys who survived ran from the vehicle — which had come to rest upside down in the pond — to a nearby home and called 911, police said.
“We will not be speculating on alcohol and/or drug usage pending toxicology reports,” said State Highway Patrol Lt. Brian Holt during a news conference in which he cited high speed as a factor in the accident.
No one in the SUV had permission to take it, but there were no theft reports, Lt. Holt said. The vehicle was licensed to a resident of Youngstown, about 20 miles away
“All I know is my baby is gone,” said Derrick Ray, who viewed his 15-year-old son’s body at the county morgue.
• This article is based in part on wire service reports.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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