Teen girls found dead in car submerged in Louisiana pond

State police say it’s unclear if seatbelt use was a factor in the crash

(Facebook/St George Fire Department)

Two teenage girls died after their car became submerged in a Louisiana pond, according to police.

Officials say that the girls were killed when their vehicle veered off a road, hit a tree, and “vaulted” into the private pond in the state’s Ascension Parish, which is around 25 miles southeast of Baton Rouge, on Sunday.

The girls have been identified by Louisana State Police as 16-year-old Caroline Smith, the driver, and 16-year-old Chloe Hamilton, the passenger. Both girls were from Prairieville.

Police also noted that the girls had been traveling along Perkins Road near the East Baton Rouge Parish line before hitting a curve that ultimately lead them to hit the tree. Investigators aren’t clear on what prompted Smith to lose control of the 2008 Chevrolet Impala as it went around a bend.

After hitting the tree and becoming airborne, the car sank into the pond and completely submerged. The teenagers were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

“It is unclear if seatbelt use is a factor in the crash. The crash remains under investigation,” police said in a statement.