Speed and an inexperienced, unlicensed driver are blamed in a single vehicle crash which killed three western Wisconsin teenagers and injured two more Tuesday evening. The Eau Claire County Sheriff’s Department says the five teens were driving at high speed on Walnut Road just south of Eau Claire when the car came over a hill and crashed. Only one of the teens had a license, and she was not the driver.
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Investigators say 14-year-old Austin Gable was at the wheel. He and a 13-year-old McKenna Johnson died at the scene. A 15-year-old, Marco Perz, died later at a hospital. A 13-year-old boy, Ulises Ponce, and 16-year-old Felicia Bertrang, whose parents own the car, were both injured. All five were students at Eleva-Strum schools. Alcohol was not believed to be involved, but investigators are looking into other possible contributing factors.
Dan Lea, WAYY
