The day after a crash in that killed a 17-year-old Georgia high school student and injured three others, authorities identified the teenagers involved and said charges may be filed against the driver.
As the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported, the single-car crash killed front-seat passenger Stephen Smith, a senior at Creekview High School (Canton, Ga.) and a member of the school’s track and field team.
Per the Journal-Constitution, the car’s driver, identified Wednesday as 17-year-old Fred Engamba, was taken to the hospital and released.
Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Jay Baker said per the Journal-Constitution that“charges are likely” in the case, but “investigators will wait until they complete their investigation and until toxicology results return before determining what charges to file.”
The three injured were also Creekview students, a school district spokeswoman told the Journal-Consitution.
Back-seat passenger Chase Burr, 17, is also a track athlete and has serious injuries. The Journal-Constitution reports that a 15-year-old passenger was taken to the hospital and released.
Baker told reporters Tuesday that the teens were driving at about 2 p.m. when the vehicle lost control down an embankment and hit a tree. Investigators said speed may have been a factor in the crash.
The school’s track and field team remembered Smith on their Facebook page.
A letter sent to parents from Creekview Principal Mark Merges and shared with the Journal-Constitution said Smith was “an energetic student who was known as a friend to all.”
“He always came to class in a good mood with a smile on his face,” Merges wrote. “He was always willing to help out classmates and loved track and field, especially the jumping events.”