Teen Celebrating 18th Birthday Among 2 Killed in Georgia Crash After Car Slammed into Tree

Authorities said three other teens inside the car were injured, including one individual who sustained life-threatening injuries

Two teens were killed, one of whom had just turned 18, and three others were injured after a single car crash in Georgia.

The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office said a Mazda 6 with five teenagers inside was traveling down Towne Lake Parkway around 8:15 p.m. local time on Tuesday when the vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree, according to ABC affiliate WSB-TV and NBC affiliate WXIA-TV.

One of the victims, 17-year-old Gabriel Escandon of Marietta, was pronounced dead at the scene, per the outlets. A second teen, 18-year-old Esteban Cortez-Rendon of Woodstock, died at a local hospital.

Cortez-Rendon had just turned 18 the day of the crash, WSB-TV and Patch.com reported, citing officials and friends.

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“He was just a great person,” friend Alfredo Gonzalez told WSB-TV. “Always put a smile on your face. He never had any negative thoughts about anybody.”

The teens “were like brothers,” friend Eric Martinez told WSB-TV. He and others said Cortez-Rendon was “dedicated” to God and the church.

“Everything in life was just about God,” Martinez added. “I wouldn’t be in church right now if it wasn’t for him.”

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One of the victims killed in Tuesday’s crash was a student in the Cobb County School District, according to FOX affiliate WAGA-TV. In a statement, the district said its thoughts are with “the friends, family and entire school community of the student who passed away and the students who are being cared for at the hospital.

Etowah High School Principal Robert Horn also said one deceased victim was a former student, according to WAGA-TV and WXIA-TV. The victim last attended the school in 2022, Horn added.

Police and school officials did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's requests for comment.

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Two 17-year-olds and an 18-year-old were injured in Tuesday’s crash, reported WSB and WXIA. One of the 17-year-old victims, from Marietta, sustained serious injuries.

The second 17-year-old, who was from Smyrna and identified as the driver, and the 18-year-old, from Tulsa, Okla., sustained non-life threatening injuries.

Authorities believe speed played a role in the crash, according to WSB-TV and WXIA-TV.

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