A car full of teens was traveling more than 100 miles per hour before it crashed early Sunday in Platte County, Missouri, killing 18-year-old passenger Tessa Walker and injuring four others, authorities said Friday.
“The preliminary investigation of the crash indicates that a 2024 BMW M4 Sedan was traveling south on MO 45 Hwy at more than 100 mph (miles per hour) when the driver of the vehicle lost control and the vehicle left the roadway just south of N. Main Street,” the Platte County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.
The office responded to the crash at 4:20 a.m. Sunday.
The teens “had been at a birthday party Saturday night at a short-term rental known as ‘The North 84’ near Farley, Missouri,” KMBC reported. “The home was rented by a Park Hill parent, and adults were present. …
“The car drove away at a high rate of speed and made it only about two miles before crashing along a winding stretch of road. …
“Students tell KMBC alcohol was at the party, a violation of Airbnb’s policy and state and federal law for underage drinking.”
Nearby residents told the station speeding is a chronic problem on that stretch of road, one saying that “every day that we leave the house to get on that road, we’re having people go over the double lines, speeding way over the limit. It’s only like 55 miles an hour on that road. Unfortunately, everybody’s going about 75.”
“The vehicle overturned after leaving the roadway, came to rest top side up on the west shoulder of MO-45 Hwy, and then caught on fire,” the sheriff’s office said, adding the 18-year-old driver Om Patel of Riverside and three passengers received “minor to severe injuries.”
Walker, a senior at Park Hill High School where she was an athlete and honor student set to attend Northwest Missouri State on an academic scholarship, died at the scene.
“The preliminary cause and circumstances leading to the motor vehicle crash including the full accident reconstruction remains under investigation by the Platte County Sheriff’s Office Crash Team,” the sheriff’s office said. “It is believed that excess speed and alcohol were contributing factors to the motor vehicle crash.
“Once the full investigation has been completed the information will be forwarded to the Platte County Prosecuting Attorneys Office for review and consideration of criminal charges.”
