UPDATED (12:05 p.m.)—Maryland State Police have identified the victims of the crash. Read more here.
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UPDATED (6:10 a.m.)—Three people were killed and two others were injured when their vehicle went off a road in northern Harford County, hit a tree and broke in half Saturday night.
The single-vehicle accident took place near the intersection of Prospect and Mill Green roads near Street, just before 11:30 p.m. Saturday.
The identities of the victims have not been revealed, pending notification of family, according to a news release from Maryland State Police. However, police said the victims—two males and a female—appear to have been friends, in their late teens to early 20s, from Harford and Baltimore counties.
The release stated the initial investigation indicated the vehicle was traveling east on Prospect Road when it left the road, went airborne and struck a tree. The impact broke the vehicle in half. One section of the vehicle fell "into a deep ravine and was about 100 feet from the other half of the car," police said.
The cause of the crash wasn't immediately known and the incident remained under investigation Sunday morning.
A male and female survived the crash and were flown by two Maryland State Police helicopters to Maryland Shock Trauma.
Troopers said that there is no indication that alcohol was a factor in the crash. The release stated that because of the severity of the damage to the vehicle, police haven't been able to determine if occupants were wearing seat belts.
Crash investigators anticipated remaining at the scene until at least 7 or 8 a.m. Sunday.
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Patch initially reported that at least two people were ejected from the 2008 Mazda at the time of the crash, and a Maryland State Police helicopter was called in to assist with medical transport, according to a state police spokesman.
Cpl. Dudek of the Maryland State Police Bel Air Barrack said that as of 12:30 a.m., police were investigating whether anyone was deceased.
Emergency dispatchers received a call that a vehicle had gone off the road on MD Route 646 at approximately 11:29 p.m. Saturday, said Dudek. First responders found the vehicle had been severed, police said.
As of 11:35 p.m., Prospect Road (MD 646) was closed, according to the Maryland Department of Transportation. Police said at 12:30 a.m. Sunday that Route 646 would be closed between 136 and 543 for the investigation.
Stay with Patch for updates.
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The first responders are traumatised every time. The driving instructers try to prevent it. And yet it continues to happen. How do we stop it? That is what we need to ask ourselves.