Five teenage boys died after their car plunged off a cliff in Grand Junction, Colorado, on August 9. The victims were identified by relatives as Braden Taylor, Tristan Tucker, Titus Gould, William Simms, and Tyler Martinez, all aged 17.
Crash details and investigation
Emergency services responded to a steep hillside in Grand Junction after a report that a car may have gone over the edge of a cliff. The vehicle was discovered at around 7:45am the following morning. Authorities said the boys were travelling along a residential street with steep drop-offs when their vehicle veered off the roadway late on Saturday night.
The Mesa County Coroner's Office said three of the boys, including the driver and front-seat passenger, had been wearing seatbelts. The other two were not and were ejected from the vehicle during the crash. All five boys, who lived in Grand Junction, were pronounced dead at the scene.
Families mourn and launch fundraisers
An investigation into the cause of the crash is underway, with detectives looking into the possibility that speed may have played a role. Police have not officially identified the victims as they were under 18, but loved ones have identified them online.
In a GoFundMe page launched after Tucker's death, relatives described him as "full of life, potential, and a free spirit." Tucker was reportedly due to start his senior year of high school and was close to getting his driver's license. Simms' sister Emily confirmed her younger brother was killed alongside his "best friends" in the collision. "My sweet sweet baby brother and his best friends left this world too soon," she said in a Facebook post. Emily launched a fundraiser to support her family as they try to "process a loss we still cannot fathom."
Community support and tributes
A Meal Train fundraiser was launched to support Gould's family. A friend of the teenager's mother shared a donation link online to "ease some of the financial burdens" the family may face. "Five beautiful young lives gone far too soon, leaving families, friends, and our entire community grieving an unimaginable loss," Trae Tripoli said in a Facebook post.
Taylor's grandfather Calvin Wilken confirmed the teenager was among those killed after the vehicle rolled down five ledges of a "very steep drop off." Martinez's grandmother Debbie Gallegos Martinez confirmed her grandson had died alongside his pals. "With a heavy heart and tears rolling down my cheek my grandson was one of this [sic] boys," she wrote. Another relative, Angela Chris Martinez, asked for prayers for all the grieving families.
