Death At 97 MPH

"LANDER, WY — The Wyoming family was driving to a doctor's appointment when a distraught teenager saw his chance in their headlights, authorities say. Matthew Denton throttled his SUV to 97 mph, steered into the opposite lanes, and kept his foot off the brake.

"The head-on crash just after midnight Nov. 10 killed five people including 17-year-old Denton and four in a Dodge Caravan minivan: 41-year-old Corina Surrell-Norman; her ex-husband, Arvin Surrell; their 25-year-old son, Ethan Surrell; and his 20-year-old girlfriend, Melinda Escamilla.

"The minivan was going between 50 and 55 mph when the crash happened four miles south of Lander, a town of about 7,400 at the foot of the Wind River Range

"The crash happened on a stretch of Wyoming Highway 789 that had two southbound lanes and a northbound lane. Denton was headed north when he crossed into both southbound lanes.

"The collision occurred in the inner southbound lane. The van tumbled off the highway and caught fire. Two people were ejected from the van and the other two burned inside.

"Fremont County Coroner Ed McAuslan said the collision killed all four in the van instantly."

From The Seattle Times...