HARWICH, Mass. — Five teenagers were rushed to the hospital after a fiery crash on Cape Cod late Monday night, authorities said.
First responders were called to Queen Anne and Rebecca roads for a single-car crash around 10:45 p.m., according to the Harwich Fire Department.
Upon arrival, they found a car that had veered off the road, crashed through the guardrail, and caught fire. At the time, four people were outside the vehicle and one was still inside the burning wreckage.
Firefighters used an extinguisher to put the blaze out and pulled the person out of the car.
Two 17-year-old girls were flown to Mass General Hospital with life-threatening injuries and three 18-year-old boys were taken to Cape Cod Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Harwich Police Lt. Aram Goshgarian said Tuesday morning.
One of the more badly injured girls was riding in the backseat and needed a tourniquet, according to Goshgarian.
“One of the backseat passengers, her leg was badly injured, so one of the officers applied a tourniquet,” Goshgarian explained. “She was probably the most significantly injured.”
One officer patrolling the area near the crash spotted the car traveling at “over 80 mph and accelerating” before the wreck happened, according to Goshgarian.
“So, he [officer] turned around, and that’s when he encountered the car and learned it had gone off the road and crashed into the woods,” Goshgarian said.
Goshgarian added that he doesn’t believe alcohol was involved but noted investigators suspect the driver sped up when a cruiser started tailing the vehicle.
As of Tuesday morning, there were no updates available on the condition of the victims.
The names of those involved in the wreck haven’t been released, but Goshgarian said he believes some of the victims were Nauset Public Schools students.
The Harwich Police Department’s crash reconstruction team is investigating.
Police haven’t yet said if charges will be filed.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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