Five Killed in Farmingdale, NY, in Car vs. SUV Crash

Who:
Jesse Romero, 18, Carley Lonnborg, 14, Noah Francis, 15, Cody Talanian, 18, and Tristan Reichle, 17, were killed slightly past midnight on Saturday, 5/10/14 in Farmingdale, NY, when their 2001 Nissan Sentra swerved into the oncoming lane and crashed into a 2010-era GMC Terrain. All five teens in the Sentra died. There were 2 occupants in the Terrain, a 53-year-old male driver and a female passenger, who were in serious condition. All teens were Farmingdale High School students.

How:
The Sentra was westbound on Conklin St. and crossed into the eastbound lane. Two of the male occupants in the Sentra were ejected from the vehicle. Witnesses stated the Sentra had been traveling at a high rate of speed. They were reportedly drag racing.

Why:
This is another sad case of speeding leading to a preventable collision and fatality. It is also a sad reflection of the increased risks of fatalities present when teenagers are behind the wheel, as well as when they carry a number of passengers.

The 2001 Sentra weighs 2650 lbs and comes with an “acceptable” IIHS frontal score. It was impacted by a 2010-era Terrain, which is a twin of the Chevrolet Equinox, that weighs 4189 lbs, or 158% of the Fusion’s weight.  As a result, the Sentra automatically faced 58% more force in the collision than it would have colliding with another Sentra, placing it at a severe disadvantage in the collision. The Terrain, meanwhile, experienced 37% lower forces due to the weight advantage.

Given the likely speeds of the collision (~50 mph), the collision likely imparted at least 475KJ of energy into the Sentra. The Sentra frontal impact test simulates 192KJ of energy (a Sentra impacting another at 40 mph). In other words, the Sentra faced 247% of the force it would have experienced in the type of crash the vehicle was rated for. The individuals who were ejected were almost certainly unbelted, sealing their fates. The deaths of the remaining 2 occupants may have been due to the forces present in the collision or due to a lack of seat belt use.

The Terrain’s frontal test simulates 304KJ of energy (a Terrain impacting another at 40 mph), indicating that its occupants would have faced 99% of the forces the vehicle was rated to safely withstand, given that the Sentra imparted 300KJ of energy into the Terrain. This was clearly a survivable collision for the Terrain’s occupants, which was reflected in the survival of the occupants.

This is another preventable set of fatalities that occurred due to the decision to speed. I have to wonder if it might not have been preventable had the parents of the teenagers had some means of awareness of where and how quickly their teens were driving, such as through GPS technology.

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