An 18-year-old Alpharetta driver and two teenage passengers from Cumming died in a fiery single-vehicle crash Monday in Florida. A fourth teen was critically injured in the wreck.
Horizon Christian Academy confirmed in a Tuesday social media post all four teens attended the K-12 private school in Cumming. City leaders there will light the water tower that bears the greeting “Cumming home” in navy and gold to show support to the school community and families.
The crash happened during the school’s spring break around 11 a.m. Monday on Fla. 65 in Franklin County, about 70 miles southwest of Tallahassee, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
The four teens inside the vehicle were headed south on the state road when the vehicle crossed into the northbound lane and went off the east shoulder, according to an incident report provided to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The vehicle then hit a tree and caught fire, the report states.
Witnesses pulled out a passenger from the front right seat before fire engulfed the vehicle. That person, identified as a 17-year-old girl from Alpharetta, was flown to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital for treatment of critical injuries. An update on her condition was not released.
“The driver and other two passengers were still in the vehicle and pronounced deceased on scene,” the report said.
Florida authorities have not released the names of three who died.
“We cannot confirm or provide any details as these deaths are still being investigated by our office and the Florida Highway Patrol,” the District 2 Medical Examiner’s Office said in an email to the AJC.
The driver was described in the report as an 18-year-old male. The two deceased passengers were 16- and 17-year-old girls from Cumming, the report said.
All four people in the car were wearing seat belts, according to the report.
The highway safety department said the reason for the crash is unknown at this time. Photos of the scene released by the highway safety department depict a two-lane road lined by trees on both sides.
The students’ school posted a tribute to the teens on social media Tuesday and expressed “profound sorrow” at the loss.
“Please join us in lifting up these students’ families, and their friends in prayer. We also ask for continued prayer for the student who remains in the hospital,” the post said. “We pray that God’s presence would be deeply felt by these grieving families, and that His presence would bring comfort, peace, and hope even in the midst of unimaginable loss.”
The school’s chapel opened Monday night to give those in mourning a place to gather.
The water tower will be illuminated in the school’s colors through April 17, the city said.
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