Five teenage boys killed after vehicle plunges down Colorado hillside
Published at | Updated at
GRAND JUNCTION, Colorado — Five teenage boys were killed after their vehicle plunged down a steep hillside in western Colorado.
The crash happened late Saturday night near Lookout Lane in Grand Junction but was not discovered until around 7:45 a.m. Sunday, when 911 dispatchers received a report that a vehicle may have gone over the edge of a cliff.
First responders found the vehicle wrecked on the hillside and all five teenagers dead at the scene.
The Mesa County Coroner’s Office said all five boys were 17 and from Grand Junction.
Three of them, including the driver and front-seat passenger, were wearing seat belts. The other two were not wearing seat belts and were ejected from the vehicle. Autopsies determined all five died from injuries sustained in the crash.
Police say the vehicle was traveling south on Lookout Lane when it left the roadway and went down the steep incline. Investigators are looking at speed as a possible factor in the crash.
“Our hearts are heavy following the tragic losses this weekend,” the Grand Junction Police Department said. “We grieve alongside our community and stand together to support one another.”