Five teen friends killed after vehicle plunges down Colorado cliff, leaving community shattered
Five 17-year-old friends were killed when their vehicle plunged off a cliff and down a steep Colorado hillside, leaving their families and community grappling with an unimaginable loss just as a new school year begins.
The five boys, all from Grand Junction, were traveling along Lookout Lane late Saturday when their vehicle veered off the roadway and went down the steep incline, according to authorities.
Three of the teenagers, including the driver and front-seat passenger, were wearing seat belts, while the other two were not buckled in and were ejected from the vehicle, the Mesa County Coroner's Office said.
All five died from injuries sustained in the crash.
Authorities were not alerted to the wreck until approximately 7:45 a.m. Sunday, when 911 dispatchers received a report that a vehicle may have gone over the edge of a cliff, according to the Grand Junction Police Department.
Police and firefighters responding to the area discovered the wrecked vehicle along the hillside.
Speed is being investigated as a possible factor, police said. Authorities have not publicly identified the driver or said what caused the vehicle to leave the roadway.
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The coroner's office said it would not release the teenagers' names because of its policy against publicly identifying minors.
Though the teens have been identified by families and loved ones as those in the Grand Junction community share memories and rally around those left behind.
One of the victims was Braden Taylor, 17, whose grandfather, Calvin Wilken, confirmed his death in an emotional Facebook post obtained by Fox News Digital.
"Very sad news our youngest grandson Braden 17 died in a car rollover down 5 ledges of a very steep drop off over looking the railroad tracks and the Gunnison River," Wilken wrote.
"He was a passenger with 4 of his buddies, all deceased," he added.
Wilken said the crash occurred just blocks from the family's former home in a ridge-top development above the area.
A GoFundMe established for Braden's parents said the teenager was their youngest son and that the family is now confronting unexpected funeral expenses while trying to process his death.
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"Wade and Michelle are now facing the unimaginable pain of losing their youngest son while also carrying the weight of sudden funeral expenses," the fundraiser said.
The scale of the loss has rippled across Grand Junction.
Modern Classic Motors, a local business, shared verified donation links for all five families and said the tragedy was weighing particularly heavily on the community as students returned to school.
"Our hearts are broken for the five young lives tragically lost over the weekend and for their family and friends who are left with this unimaginable loss," the business wrote on Facebook.
"As the new school year kicks off today, we can only imagine the heaviness and sadness that is being felt throughout our schools today," the post continued.
The four other teenagers were identified by loved ones as Tristan Tucker, Titus Gould, William Simms and Tyler Martinez, according to the Daily Mail.
Tucker had been preparing to begin his senior year of high school, get his driver's license and experience the milestones that come with being 17, according to a fundraiser for his family cited by the outlet.
He was remembered as being "full of life, potential, and a free spirit."
A Meal Train was also established to support Gould's family following his death, according to the Daily Mail.
Martinez's grandmother, Debbie Gallegos Martinez, publicly mourned her grandson after the crash.
"With a heavy heart and tears rolling down my cheek my grandson was one of this [sic] boys," she wrote, according to the outlet.
Another family member asked people to keep all five families in their prayers, calling the tragedy "devastating and heartbreaking."
The Grand Junction Police Department also issued an emotional message.
"Our hearts are heavy following the tragic losses this weekend," the department wrote. "You're our neighbors, our friends, and our family."
"We grieve alongside our community and stand together to support one another."