2 teens killed, 2 hurt when car strikes utility pole (VIDEO)

Two people have been killed and two others injured in a one-vehicle crash early Wednesday afternoon, authorities said.

Sedgwick County sheriff’s Lt. Lin Dehning gave this account from the scene:

At 12:52 p.m. four young men were going west on Pawnee in a black Monte Carlo when it left the roadway and struck a utility pole on the passenger side.

Two of the males – front-seat and rear-seat passengers – were killed, while the other two – the driver and one of the rear-seat passengers – were injured and taken to local hospitals.

The two who died were both minors, according to Dehning. The front-seat passenger was 17 years old, and the left-rear passenger was 15. The driver was 19 years old, and the right-rear passenger was 20, Dehning said.

One of the passengers killed was a student at Wichita North High School, district spokeswoman Susan Arensman said. She said she did not know whether any of the other passengers were students at Wichita schools.

Accident investigation crews do not know what role, if any, speed played in the accident, Dehning said.

Investigators have talked to a number of people who saw the accident, he said, but anyone who may have witnessed the crash is asked to call 911.

One man who came upon the crash scene moments after it happened described skid marks leading off the road from westbound Pawnee into the grass leading to the utility pole, which is now leaning. The car never made the curve on Pawnee west of Woodlawn.

The speed limit is 45 from Rock Road to Woodlawn, then drops to 40 west of Woodlawn.

Contributing: Matt Riedl of The Eagle

This story was originally published March 11, 2015 at 1:26 PM with the headline "2 teens killed, 2 hurt when car strikes utility pole (VIDEO)."