CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Two teenagers were killed in a car accident after leaving their high school graduation rehearsal in Corpus Christi, Texas.
The rollover crash killed Matthew Garcia and Marcello Saldua, both 18, KIII reported. Two other students were injured in the crash as well.
The students had been attending a graduation rehearsal at the American Bank Center, police told the Corpus Christi Caller Times. All four students were male and in a white two-door car that was found on its roof, the newspaper reported.
The father of one of the teens injured in the crash told KRIS that his son was released from the hospital with a severe concussion. “He’s banged up pretty bad, but he’s doing alright as far as health,” Johnny Morgan told KRIS. “But unfortunately, he’s taking the news about his other friends pretty hard.”
The seniors were both students at W.B. Ray High School, and were driving to school following the rehearsal, the school district said in a Facebook post.
“Our Texan community is devastated by the loss of our graduating seniors,” Principal Roxanne Cuevas said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to all the loved ones affected by this tragedy.”
The city’s mayor, Paulette Guajardo, offered her condolences in a Facebook post announcing a prayer vigil in remembrance of the teens on Thursday.
“They were going to graduate and they didn’t even get to,” a freshman at W.B. Ray told KRIS. “Everyone was talking about it, and a lot of the teachers were grieving about it.”
The school’s graduation ceremony is June 3. Two chairs will be reserved for Garcia and Saldua, in keeping with the school district’s tradition of honoring students who have died, KIII reported.
Police told the Caller Times that while the crash is under investigation, it appears speed was a factor in causing the accident.