A Wilson's Mills police officer said three high school students are lucky to be alive after a driver lost control of a Lexus sedan and crashed after driving at speeds over 100 mph.
Wilson's Mills police tried to initiate a traffic stop after seeing the car go through a stop sign at West Olive Road and Highway 70 Business around 2:15 a.m. on Tuesday.
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The driver cut across the highway and sped away as the officer pursued, according to police. Along a curve on Strickland Road, the driver of the Lexus lost control of the vehicle, drove into a ditch and flipped the car over several times.
Police estimated the vehicle stopped flipping around 600 feet from the road.
The 15-year-old driver was taken to the hospital. Police believe he drove away because he didn’t have a valid driver’s license.
A 17-year-old passenger was ejected from the vehicle and was taken to WakeMed. Another 15-year-old passenger was released to his mother.
“People need to understand that speed really does kill," said Chief A.Z. Williams. "Those kids were very lucky tonight."
The three were students at Clayton High School, all of whom are expected to be okay.
"Kids need to understand nothing good happens that late at night, especially when you're not supposed to be out," Williams said. "When you're driving excessive speeds and you're an inexperienced driver, that's just a combination of bad things."
The investigation is still pending.