One teenager survived a Gwinnett County wreck that killed five other teens traveling in a pickup truck on Labor Day, according to a police report released Wednesday.
The Monday morning wreck killed five teens, including the driver of the 2017 Toyota Tacoma double cab, and injured three others, according to police. Three of those killed were students at Lakeside High School in DeKalb County.
The crash happened shortly before 4 a.m., according to police. Investigators believe Hung Nguyen, 18, of Lawrenceville, was driving the truck westbound on Ga. 316 attempting to merge onto I-85.
But before that, Nguyen’s truck may have collided with an Infiniti G35 driven by a 20-year-old Hiram man while both vehicles negotiated a curve, the police report states.
The impact sent the truck over a concrete wall and down several feet to I-85, where it crashed and ejected two passengers, police said. One of those ejected was not wearing a seatbelt, but investigators could not determine if the second passenger was wearing one.
A third driver, a 33-year-old DeKalb man, struck one of the victims on the interstate, the report states.
In addition to Nguyen, the crash killed Katie Gaitan, 17, Ashley Gaitan, 16, and Coral Lorenzo, 17, all from Atlanta, and Abner Santana, 19, of Suwanee. All five died at the scene.
Another teen, an 18-year-old boy, survived the crash and sustained minor injuries, along with the drivers of the two other vehicles involved, police said. Investigators do not believe alcohol was a factor in the crash.
The driver of the Infiniti said he jumped over a concrete wall to safety but broke several bones in the fall, the police report states.
DeKalb County School District Superintendent Devon Horton said in a letter Tuesday to the community that staff would be available at Lakeside to provide support and counseling “this week and beyond.” The Gaitans and Lorenzo all attended Lakeside.
“In our unity, we will find the strength to heal and support each other through this unimaginable loss,” Horton said.
GoFundMe accounts to cover funeral expenses were created for each teenager.
Anyone with information on the crash is asked to contact Gwinnett police. To remain anonymous, tipsters can contact Atlanta Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477) or visit www.stopcrimeATL.com.
Hours after the crash, a separate wreck killed two Morehouse College students in East Point, according to the Georgia State Patrol.
Investigators believe Hugh Douglas and Christion Files Jr. were traveling fast, going south on Church Street. After passing another car in a curve, their vehicle left the road, hit two power poles and overturned near the intersection with Linwood Avenue. Both died at the scene.
During the Labor Day weekend, 21 people in Georgia were killed in crashes, according to the State Patrol.
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