KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Sadness consumed many on Tuesday in Wyandotte County after a deadly crash killed a 14-year-old girl on Monday.
According to police, a car full of teenagers, possibly as many as six teens, crashed Monday afternoon at about 5 p.m. at 12th and Dodson Lane. Casey Knight, a student at Turner Middle School in Kansas City, Kan. was killed, while another girl who hasn’t been identified but is approximately the same age, is in critical condition.
The girls were both thrown from the vehicle when it crashed.
Students at Turner Middle and from Turner High said Casey was in the car with the other girl and two high school boys when the crash happened. Friends told FOX 4 they were on their way to a birthday party.
The preliminary report states that their car was traveling eastbound when the driver lost control. The road was closed for construction and the vehicle swerved to avoid a barricade. Police said the others in the car could face charges because they reportedly left the car and took off running after the accident.
A student who said he is friends with one of the boys told FOX 4 his friend is in jail.
“It’s really shocking,” said Jeffrey Hopson, Turner High student. “It’s sad. It’s stupid. I don’t know why they did it, really.”
The Turner School District released a statement on Tuesday confirming that they were grieving the loss of an 8th grade student. They said school counselors are available to help students struggling with the loss.
“I’ve seen a lot of news stories about student bad things happening to them and I never imagined it would happen in our school,” said Savannah O’Brien from Turner Middle School.