CRASH TRAGEDY
Five teenagers killed in crash pictured after car smashes into tree ‘at speed’ as driver, 18, survives horror smash
FIVE teenagers killed in a horror crash after a car smashed into a tree "at speed" in Australia have been pictured.
The 18-year-old driver of the Nissan Navara was the sole survivor of the fatal collision in south west Sydney at around 7.50pm on Tuesday.
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Antonio Desisto, Tyrese Bechard, Summer Williams, Lily Van De Putte and Gabriella McLennan - all aged between 14 and 16 - passed away when the vehicle "left the road and collided with a large gum tree".
The community has been rocked by the tragic incident that crumpled the four-seater pickup truck driven by Tyrell Edwards.
He was miraculously found lying next to the wreckage with non-life-threatening injuries and was rushed to Liverpool Hospital.
He was breath-tested, which returned a negative result, before being subjected to mandatory blood and urine testing.
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The 18-year-old was arrested just hours after being discharged from hospital on Wednesday and was taken to Narellan Police Station.
Police have now charged Edwards with five counts of causing death by dangerous driving.
He has been refused bail and will appear at Picton Local Court on Thursday.
Cops confirmed three girls, two aged 14 and a 15-year-old, and two boys, aged 15 and 16, were found dead inside the car, with officers describing the "disturbing" scene.
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Locals who heard the impact attempted to revive the teens before first responders arrived, according to the NSW Ambulance service.
Shocking pictures show the Nissan had been torn to shreds in the crash.
But the father of one of the late schoolgirls told ABC he does not have any resentment towards P-plate motorist Edwards.
Lily's dad John Van De Putte said: "We don’t hold any grudges against the driver because he is going to go through hell."
A relative of the 18-year-old told local media he and his family were "distraught", adding: "Everyone is grieving."
Hordes of flowers and tributes have been laid at the scene, as pals of the tragic teens sobbed at the crash site.
Heartbroken Ellie Mount told how the girls had invited her to head out with them before the fatal incident.
She told local news: "I played soccer with them... you know, they were always there and to think that they texted me last night asking if I wanted to hang out with them.
"I could have got mum to pick them up... I could have prevented it, I don’t know what to do."
We don’t hold any grudges against the driver because he is going to go through hell.
John Van De Putte
One friend said he was "angry" when discovering the five teens had been killed in the smash on September 6.
Jamarley Frail told the : "'I know a lot of the victims in the accident. I don't know why they were in the car with him.
"It doesn't make sense to me. I'm angry at what happened."
Superintendent Paul Fuller said it was one of the worst accident scenes he'd seen in 38 years.
He explained: "It's a horrific accident scene and a traumatic event like this will have a devastating impact on the families, friends and the local community.
"We believe a number of the children go to the local high school.
"We have spoken to the principal of the high school to facilitate some counselling at the school tomorrow when the students arrive."
Fire and Rescue NSW Superintendent Adam Dewberry said “it was absolutely chaos and devastating” at the scene.
“All of the emergency services, police, ambulance, confronted with a significant, critical, traumatic scene,” he added.
A report will be prepared for the coroner.
TEEN TRAGEDY
Police have made an appeal for anyone with any dashcam or surveillance footage that may have captured the crash to come forward.
They said in a statement: "As investigations into the circumstances surrounding the crash continue, police are appealing for anyone with dashcam or social media footage to come forward."
Acting Inspector Jason Hogan said preliminary investigations suggest speed was a "possible factor" in the deadly crash.
He added: "The scene was extremely traumatic and the circumstances surrounding the damage will be investigated by our vehicle examiners.
"The scene will be interpreted by crash investigation unit and our forensic team to reconstruct what we can of the crash."
Murat Dizdar, Deputy Secretary for the NSW Department of Education, said the victims had attended Picton High School.
He said students were being offered onsite counseling following the "extremely distressing and disturbing" incident.
Local councillor Michael Banasik called it a “terrible tragedy”.
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“It’s devastating for Buxton and the general community, you know, it’s just horrible,” he told .
“Buxton’s a great place, small, small town and yeah, this is a terrible tragedy, no matter where it’s happened.”
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