2 teens killed, 3 others injured after car crashes into tree in Cherokee County

Deputies say a Mazda 6 carrying five teenagers left the road and hit a tree. It appears speed was a contributing factor in the accident, according to the sheriff’s office.

One teen died at the scene and another died at the hospital. Deputies identified them as 17-year-old Gabriel Escandon from Marietta and 18-year-old Esteban Cortez-Rendon from Woodstock.

The sheriff’s office said a 17-year-old suffered serious injuries. The driver, a 17-year-old from Smyrna, and an 18-year-old passenger from Oklahoma had non-life-threatening injuries. Their names have not been released.

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Deputies have not released the name of the teens who died. One of them is a former Etowah High School student, according to the district.

Etowah High School Principal Robert Horn sent the following message to families on Wednesday morning.

“As you may know, a tragic car crash occurred in our community last night. Numerous rumors are circulating in the community, but we have received accurate information from the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office that we can share with you. Two young men passed away in the crash, and three were injured,” Horn wrote.

“None were current Etowah students. One of the young men who passed away, whose name we cannot disclose as family notifications are ongoing, was a former student who last attended Etowah in 2022. We know that some of our students knew him, and our school district’s crisis team and our school counselors are here if they need to talk about this loss. If your child is struggling with this loss, please let us know so our counselors know to reach out,” Horn added.

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