Two teenagers were killed and three others were seriously injured in a single-vehicle crash in Cherokee County on Tuesday night, officials confirmed.
Authorities said they got a call about the crash on Towne Lake Parkway in the Towne Lake area around 8:15 p.m. When deputies arrived, they found a Mazda 6 had left the road and struck a tree in the center median. Five people were in the car.
The two teens killed were identified as 17-year-old Gabriel Escandon of Marietta and 18-year-old Esteban Cortez-Rendon of Woodstock, according to the Cherokee sheriff’s office.
Escandon died at the scene, the sheriff’s office said. The others were rushed to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, where Cortez-Rendon died.
Authorities said another 17-year-old from Marietta sustained serious injuries. An update on his condition was not provided Wednesday morning.
The driver, also 17 and from Smyrna, along with an 18-year-old passenger from Tulsa, Oklahoma, suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries, according to officials.
On Wednesday morning, all that was left at the crash site was a sawed-off tree stump. Later in the morning, John Kopach and his son, Oliver, visited and left flowers. The father and son did not want to comment but said that Oliver Kopach attended Pope High School in Cobb County with Escandon. Along with the flowers, they left a letter addressed to “Gabe.”
The Cobb school district shared a letter with parents and students acknowledging Escandon’s death and offering condolences.
“Our hearts are broken today following the news that Cobb students were involved in a tragic car accident,” a district spokesperson said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with the families, friends and entire school community of the student who passed away and the students who are being cared for in the hospital.”
School officials said counselors would be made available to any grieving students.
Cortez-Rendon was a former Etowah High School student, the district confirmed. In a message sent to parents Wednesday morning, Principal Robert Horn let families know about their connection to the tragedy.
“As you may know, a tragic car crash occurred in our community last night,” he wrote. “Two young men passed away in the crash, and three were injured ... One of the young men who passed away ... was a former student who last attended Etowah in 2022.”
“We know that some of our students knew him, and our school district’s crisis team and our school counselors are here if they need to talk about this loss,” he added.
As the makeshift memorial at the crash scene grew Wednesday, friends visited to pay their respects. Several spoke to reporters but preferred not to be named. One said it was “devastating to lose a friend,” while another said Escandon and Cortez-Rendon were “like brothers.”
“Esteban was such a pure, innocent soul, and so dedicated to God,” one of his friends told Channel 2 Action News. “I wouldn’t be in church right now if it wasn’t for him.”
It’s not clear why the car left the road as the crash remains under investigation. Traffic investigators were seen returning to the site during daylight hours Wednesday. According to Channel 2, officials said they suspect speed was a factor in the wreck.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
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