Teens in fatal crash identified by Sheriff’s Office

Two teens killed Wednesday when the car they were riding in struck a utility pole have been identified by the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office as 17-year-old Derrick Burnett and 15-year-old Dontrez J. Williams, both of Wichita.

Sheriff’s Lt. Lin Dehning said Thursday that investigators think the car’s speed was a contributing factor in the crash, which happened shortly before 1 p.m. near Pawnee and Woodlawn.

Two others were in the car: the 19-year-old man driving and a 20-year-old man. Both were hospitalized at Wesley Medical Center and survived.

The sheriff’s office said Wednesday the driver lost control of the black Chevy Monte Carlo and slid off the roadway as the car was westbound on Pawnee after turning off of Rock Road.

Burnett was the front-seat passenger in the Monte Carlo when the car crashed. Williams was the left-rear passenger, the sheriff’s office said. The car hit the pole on its passenger side.

“We believe that speed was a factor in that car losing control and leaving the roadway,” Dehning said Thursday.

“It is likely that they were exceeding the posted speed limit.”

The speed limit is 40 mph at the crash site.

Dehning said investigators had not yet determined the car’s approximate speed. He also said Thursday he did not know where the car was headed or from where it was coming.

Whether other factors played into the fatal collision remains under investigation.

Burnett was a student at North High School, Wichita public schools spokeswoman Susan Arensman said Thursday. Williams, she said, was most recently enrolled last fall at East High School but spent most of the semester attending classes at Southeast High School. He was not a student at the time of his death, she said.

Arensman said students at North High had access to grief counselors throughout the day Thursday.

The 19-year-old driver, who had minor injuries according to a sheriff’s office report, was discharged from the hospital Wednesday afternoon, Wesley spokeswoman Susan Burchill said by e-mail Thursday.

The surviving passenger – the 20-year-old man – remained hospitalized in fair condition, she said. He had been in serious condition after the crash, according to the sheriff’s report.

The sheriff’s office continues to ask anyone who witnessed the crash to call 911.

“Our condolences go out to the families of the victims. It’s always a tragedy when someone dies in a collision like this,” Dehning said.

“Every piece of information that we get is a piece of the puzzle that helps us see the bigger picture in this.”

This story was originally published March 12, 2015 at 10:24 AM with the headline "Teens in fatal crash identified by Sheriff’s Office."