Five teenage boys were killed after their vehicle plunged over a cliff in Grand Junction, Colorado, over the weekend, authorities said.
Upon arriving at the scene, officers and fire crews located the damaged vehicle on the hillside. The preliminary investigation indicated that the vehicle had been traveling southbound on Lookout Lane when it veered off the winding road and down the steep incline. All of the occupants were pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.
Personnel from the Grand Junction Police Department and the Grand Junction Fire Department, along with Mesa County Search and Rescue and the Mesa County Coroner’s Office, worked together to recover the five victims from the crash site Sunday morning.
"Our family is heartbroken and trying to process a loss we still cannot fathom," Simms wrote. "We were all very close, and losing him so suddenly has turned our world upside down."
According to the coroner's office, three of the teens had been wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash, including the driver and the front seat passenger, while the other two did not have their seatbelts buckled and were ejected from the vehicle.
"The autopsies have been completed and their deaths were due to the injuries sustained in the motor vehicle crash," the coroner's office said.
Authorities have not released any additional information about the events leading up to the accident or what may have prompted the initial 911 call. The investigation into the incident remains ongoing, but authorities noted that speed is being considered as a possible factor in the crash.
"The Grand Junction Police Department recognizes that incidents like this can have a profound impact on families, friends, and the broader community," officials said. "We encourage anyone in need of support to reach out to someone they trust or contact the GJPD Victim Services Unit for available resources."