Parents and police say it's a miracle that no one was killed in a horrific single-vehicle crash involving six teenagers in Vancouver's posh Shaughnessy neighbourhood.
The car slammed into a tree around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday near Osler Street and The Crescent, sending two of the six occupants flying out of the vehicle.
"Kids all over the place. Kids on the sidewalk," John Kisil, father of one crash victim, told CTV Vancouver.
The impact of the collision also crumpled the car's hood and sent the engine soaring into a nearby fence.
Police said all of the occupants were in their mid- to late-teens, and that one of them was somehow ejected through the rear window and hit the fence.
Only two of the six that were in the vehicle were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash.
Speed is likely a factor, say investigators, though it's unclear if the young driver could face charges.
"They were going way too fast . The engine block was a fire truck-and-a-half length from the vehicle," said Kyle Koch, whose 14-year-old son was in the car.
Kisil said the kids in the car were telling the driver to slow down before he lost control of the vehicle.
One injured teen was treated by Vancouver firefighters on the street before paramedics arrived.
Several parents are raising concerns about the response time – it took paramedics 22 minutes to arrive on scene.
All of the teenagers were taken to hospital, some suffering from injuries described by first responders as semi-serious. Others were taken away as a precaution, and several were released from hospital a few hours later.
Fortunately, none of their injuries are life threatening. The VPD's Collision Investigation team is now looking at the circumstances that lead to the crash.
Koch has a message for teens heading out for a ride with their friends: "Slow down kids – don't get into a car with a driver that's inexperienced."
With a report from CTV's Sheila Scott
