RILEY — Alcohol consumption, speeding, and conditions caused by rain may have played a role in a deadly crash Sunday that killed three people, including two Indiana State University football players, and injured others.
A crash report made by a Vigo County Sheriff's deputy states the five occupants of the car were on their way back from a house party, where they had been drinking, before they crashed into a tree.
The crash led to the deaths of driver Christian Eubanks, 18, Caleb VanHooser, 19, and Jayden Musili, a 19-year-old from Fort Wayne. Eubanks and VanHooser were both ISU football players.
Two other ISU football players, a 20-year-old from Lafayette and a 19-year-old of Wheaton, Illinois, were critically injured as a result of the crash.
The group was driving to Terre Haute from the party at Indiana University Bloomington's campus when they wrecked early Sunday at the intersection of State Road 46 and Main Street in Riley, according to the report.
One of the surviving passengers told police "everyone had been drinking at the party," the report states. It adds that they were traveling about 90 mph at the time of the crash.
Vigo County Sheriff's deputies were dispatched to the scene about 1:36 a.m.
Deputies arrived to find a car on fire with an occupant unable to remove themselves because of their injuries. Meanwhile, Riley firefighters came to the aid of two people lying in a grassy area south of the car, according to the report.
Responders then learned there were still three people inside the car: the driver and two passengers. They were later removed from the car with assistance from a tow company.
Eubanks, VanHooser and Musili were all pronounced dead at the scene. Two other occupants were transported to a local hospital in critical condition.
There were about 3-4 inches of standing water on the road at the time due to heavy rain and thunderstorms, according to the report.
A witness who was traveling on State Road 46 told police he heard a loud noise then saw a "very bright flash that seemed fake." He then noticed the group's car had gone into a tree and caught fire.
The witness told police he then pulled out two of the car's occupants. He initially thought everyone was out of the car at the time, but he then realized there were more people in the car when heard screaming from inside, the report states.
State Road 46 was closed in the area of the crash for about six hours as responders worked the scene.
The car's airbags were successfully deployed for all four passengers, according to the report.
The report also lists Eubanks' safety equipment as "effective" but says it's "unknown" whether it was used.
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