Three teenagers have d!ed in a horror car crash after a driver ploughed into a swimming pool while allegedly high on laughing gas.
The accident unfolded in the town of Alès, southern France early yesterday morning, Dec. 3, when the Peugeot 207 careered off the road and smashed through a wall, landing in a private swimming pool only slightly bigger than the vehicle itself.
The three teens – aged 14, 15 and 19 – were unable to open the doors, and drowned inside the car.
Nitrous oxide canisters were later found in the car after it was pulled from the pool by firefighters.
Alès public prosecutor, Abdelkrim Grini, explained that the people in the car were “physically unable to open the doors” as “the width of the pool was not large enough to open the doors”.
He added: “They were unfortunately trapped inside the vehicle”.
The vehicle was insured and belonged to the 19-year-old, though police are yet to confirm whether he was driving at the time of the accident.
“At our level, we are seeing more and more arrests of people who have consumed nitrous oxide while driving a vehicle,” Mr Grini said.
The mayor of Alès, Christophe Rivenq, told French media that there was “nothing dangerous” about the road, which has a maximum speed limit of 30 kmh (18mph), unless someone is speeding. He went on to say he was “thinking of the families of these young people who did not deserve to d!e at this age”.
An investigation into the cause of de@th has been opened by the public prosecutor’s office, with investigators piecing together what happened in the hours leading up to the accident
Initial assessments of the victims’ bodies suggested neither passenger in the front seat were wearing their seatbelts, while a full medical examination will determine whether the driver had ingested nitrous oxide.
Some of the canisters found in the car were “still full” and others were “empty,” explained the public prosecutor of Alès. Cannabis and bottles of alcohol were also discovered inside the car, along with a small amount of cash.
The three victims were known to authorities for drug dealing, with the 15-year-old in police custody as recently as last weekend for drug trafficking, reported BFMTV.
