ELIZABETH, IN (WAVE) - One Kentuckiana high school student is dead and three others are injured after a car accident. All four involved are South Central High School students in Harrison County.
Two of the students seriously injured are at University Hospital. Investigators say it's not clear what caused the accident, but school administrators know it will have a lasting impact on the small community.
"It was an ugly scene," said Keith Marshall, Principal at South Central Junior/Senior High School.
3:30 on Thursday afternoon, not long after school let out for the day, Principal Marshall got a call he never wanted to hear. Four of his students were involved in a crash, just minutes from school. He rushed to the scene.
"Being a tight knit community, it is very difficult to see to see this happen to our students that we get to see everyday and it is just tough for those families that have to deal with this right now," said Marshall.
Harrison County Police say the students were traveling north on Highway 11 when for some reason they lost control, crossed the center line and slammed into a tree.
Marshall says three boys and a girl were inside the Honda Accord, one of the boys died at the scene, all four were closed friends.
"Very outgoing kids," said Marshall. "It will be a rough day tomorrow at school."
We're told two of the students were flown by helicopter to University Hospital, one was taken to Kosair with minor injuries. "I just got an update that, whether this is true or not, I don't know we are just trying to receive word that maybe one of them is in stable condition now the other may be in a drug induced coma. I don't know and I won't know for sure until I talk to family members," said Marshall.
Right after the accident, Principal Marshall met with other staff members to plan to have a crisis team on hand Friday at school to be there for the other students, knowing many are going to be very upset.
"It's very tough," said Marshall. "You know you get to watch those kids grow up from 7th all the way up to 12th grade and it gets to be tough."
An autopsy is scheduled for Friday morning. At this time the names of those involved are not being released.
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