EMPORIA, Va. — Two teens are in the hospital and two other teens are dead after the car crashed into a tree.
This wreck happened in the middle of an Emporia neighborhood Thursday morning.
News of the deadly crash has devastated many people.
News
Two teenagers killed in Emporia car crash, two others hospitalized
One neighbor told News 3 that speeding on this street has always been a problem, and it's unfortunate to see a crash involving teenagers.
Robert Harris lives around the corner from where the crash happened. He says the aftermath has been devastating.
"From what I understand, they were good teenagers. One was a football player at one school, and one was a cheerleader at another," Harris said. "They were graduating this year. That is what makes it terrible."
The impact of the crash was so violent, that the car was split in two. Speed is believed to be a cause according to state police.
"They had to have been going pretty fast to break the car in half," said Harris.
Watch previous coverage: Two teenagers killed in Emporia car crash, two others hospitalized
According to Virginia State Police, two people were killed, the driver, 17-year-old Aaliyah Thomas, and 18-year-old Marvin Williams, Junior.
A 15-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl were taken to the hospital.
VSP says the driver lost control and struck a tree. Neighbors on the street said that speeding has been an issue before.
"There are a lot of people speeding around here, they come up and down my street right here," said Harris. "Honestly, I don’t know where they’re going because it’s a dead end down there, and they’re doing twenty-five miles per hour."
According to state police, the teens in Thursday morning's crash were not wearing their seat belts. Holly Dalby with AAA says in 2023, there were over 35,000 crashes involving teen drivers, 87 resulted in at least one death.
News
'I don't feel safe:' 80% of drivers report driving aggressively in last 30 days
"I think the younger we are, the more invincible we feel we are and that we can overcome everything," said Dalby. "You just cannot. You need to practice safety and follow the law because so many dangerous things can happen,"
Southgate Lee is a dad himself, he says the whole situation is a shame.
"These kids don't think about wearing seat belts and things like that," said Lee.
A spokesperson with Virginia State Police says it's unknown if alcohol played a role in this crash. Their investigation continues.
