A Colorado cliff crash in Grand Junction killed five teenagers after their car left a roadway and plunged down a steep hillside late Saturday, according to local authorities. The five victims were all 17-year-old boys who were riding southbound on Lookout Lane when the vehicle veered off the road and dropped over the edge.
The Grand Junction Police Department and the Mesa County Coroner’s Office said emergency responders reached the scene around 7:45 a.m. Sunday, where they found the wrecked vehicle and the five teens. All five were pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators later said two occupants who were not wearing seat belts were ejected during the crash, while three others, including the driver and front-seat passenger, were restrained.
Authorities have not publicly identified the victims because they are minors, but family members and friends identified them as Braden Taylor, Tristan Tucker, Titus Gould, William Simms, and Tyler Martinez. Tributes quickly followed online as relatives tried to make sense of the loss and turn to community fundraising to help with the aftermath.
A GoFundMe for Tucker described him as someone who was expected to begin his senior year of high school, get his driver’s license, and take on the milestones that come with being a teenager. It also said his death had left family, friends, and others who knew him facing deep grief. Another fundraiser, started by Simms’ sister Emily, was created to help her single mother with funeral costs, memorial services, and bills as she mourns the loss of her son. A meal train fundraiser was also organized for the Gould family as they adjust to what organizers called their new normal.
