2 dead, 2 critical after crash on Buford Highway, officials say

Two people are dead after police say excessive speeds led to a crash on a busy stretch of highway.

The collision shut down Buford Highway near 285 for hours.

Some witnesses say the crash sounded like an explosion.

“I just come right there when I hear the accident. It’s really very... boom,” Elias Ramos told Channel 2′s Tom Jones.

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Ramos said he heard the crash as he walked down Buford Highway around 11 a.m. Friday morning.

Varenka Samantha Cortez also heard it.

“I was giving a class,” she explained. “It sounded like 3 crashes. Like 3 cars bumping into each other. But it only honestly just two,” she said.

Doraville police say the driver of a black Mazda was driving at excessive speeds southbound on Buford Highway when it left its lane and crashed head-on into a Chevy Silverado pick-up truck.

“Awful. Just terrible to see,” said Emily Heenan, the spokesperson for Doraville Police.

She said the truck was moving into the turn lane when it was hit. The impact caused excessive damage to the Mazda.

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The driver of the truck suffered minor injuries.

People who saw how mangled the Mazda was were amazed anyone survived. They said their hearts go out to those who lost their lives.

“I feel bad for the family members because that’s two losses right there,” Cortez said.

Police haven’t released the names and ages of anyone involved. Witnesses say the driver and a passenger in the Mazda looked like teenagers.

Georgia State Patrol is investigating.

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