A 16-year-old male is dead and two other teens are in hospital after a car slammed into a light pole in Scarborough early Friday morning.
Sources tell CP24 that the four-door Mercedes was travelling southbound on Brimley Road at a high rate of speed when it veered off the roadway and slammed into a light pole near McNicoll Avenue at around 1:30 a.m.
Police say that the pole was toppled by the force of the collision and ended up landing on top of the vehicle, trapping the occupants.
Toronto Fire Services then used the jaws of life to extract the three people inside.
Police say that the 16-year-old driver of the vehicle was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead some time later. Two other teens were also taken to hospital. One of them, a 14-year-old male, is currently listed in life-threatening condition while the other, a 16-year-old male, is listed in serious condition.
“Roads were wet last night and clearly there was some speed involved. If you look at the vehicle involved there is no way to discount that. It is a tragic circumstance,” Sgt. Alex Crews told CP24 at the scene on Friday morning. “Our investigators are going to be speaking to the witnesses and appealing for witnesses as well as anybody in the area who has a dashboard camera. We would like to speak with anybody that saw this just to determine the factors that caused it.”
Crews said that as part of their investigation police will be seizing the vehicle and looking into whether there may have been any mechanical issues.
He said that investigators also hope to download information from the vehicle’s computer that could shed light “speed, braking and accelerating.”
Durham District School Board identified the deceased teen as Hanzala Tariq, a grade 10 student at Anderson CVI in Whitby.
"The Durham District School Board extends our heartfelt condolences to the Tariq family and friends," a spokesperson for the school board said.
Speaking with CP24, a cousin of Tariq killed in the crash described him as a “shy guy” but a “really nice person to talk to.”
He said that he suspects his cousin took the family car without permission.
“Kids these days, they want to show off and drive too fast. It is really bad. His family is heartbroken, it is really hard for them,” Mohammad Muzamil said.
Residents in the area said the sound of the car hitting the light pole woke them from their sleep.
“It was a loud noise,” said one woman. “My neighbour heard it and so he went out. The boy was shouting out for help, you could hear him. It was really sad.”
“I saw the whole rescue from my window,” said another woman. “It took one hour but the firefighters worked so hard… What can they do? The car was totally crushed.”
Brimley Road is currently closed from McNicoll Avenue to Port Royal Trail as police investigate at the scene.
