Car Sliced in Half in NY, 4 18-Year-Old Victims Left Dead (VIDEO)
A 17-year-old was taken to the hospital on Monday morning following a splitting car crash that resulted in death for his four 18-year-old passengers.
Roads were shut down on Columbus Day in West Hempstead, N.Y. for hours as police gathered the debris from the accident. Joseph Beer, a 17-year-old from Queens, had been driving on that road just hours before when he failed to properly handle a curve. He lost control of the vehicle, causing it to slam into the wood. The impact of the car was so severe, that the vehicle was split in half.
All four passengers that had been riding with Beer, who had only a learner's permit, were thrown out of the vehicle, according to police. They were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. Beer was rushed to the hospital; little else has been said about his status. There was no mention of alcohol or reckless driving in the report, although neighbor's pointed out that the spot where the accident occurred had been an area of trouble in the past.
"Just a loud boom," is all Amy Buchanan heard, according to the Associated Press. She lives within 50 yards of where the accident took place.
"I've lived here for 10 years and there has been an accident almost in that exact spot every year, but never as one as horrific as this," the woman explained.
The accident occurred at 4 a.m. on the Southern State Parkway heading westbound. The names of the four passengers have not yet been released. In New York, individuals with a driver's learning permit are not allowed to drive without an adult over the age of 21 "who has a license valid to operate the vehicle" being driven.