KEY POINTS

  • Young brothers, ages 6 and 7, took their grandfather's vehicle for a joyride
  • The boys died after they figured in an accident, which sent the car ablaze
  • Police say that speed was a huge factor in the fatal accident

Two young brothers died in a crash after taking their grandpa’s car out for what was supposed to be a joyride. Aged 6 and 7 years old, the Missouri brothers were speeding down East Blue Mills Road in their grandpa’s 2007 Buick LaCrosse when they reportedly lost control of the vehicle.

A Fiery Crash

According to the police, speed played a big role in the fatal car accident. In a crash report obtained by KSHB, a local news outlet in Kansas, Missouri Highway Patrol said the Buick went airborne at least twice after careening off the road.

It then hit a guardrail and rolled over, hitting a tree in the process, and eventually falling on a creek where it caught fire, the report revealed. The car was driven by the 7-year-old, but the identities of the brothers, who were from Independence, Missouri, have not been released.

young missouri brothers killed in a crash after taking grandpa's car for a joyride
young missouri brothers killed in a crash after taking grandpa's car for a joyride Artyom Kulakov - Pexels

Losing Control

In a follow-up interview by the WDAF-TV, a local TV station affiliated with Fox News, authorities revealed that the young driver lost control of the vehicle even before it went off the embankment. The police added that they must have been driving at great speed for such a crash to have a fiery and fatal result. In a separate interview with NBC News, Sgt. Andy Bell of the Missouri Highway Patrol, said, their tremendous speed may have caused their vehicle to flip several times, finally landing on its roof.

Sgt. Bell also revealed that the youngsters drove through a field earlier during their joyride. “It’s pretty unique, to say the least, and devastating,” the police officer told NBC News. As of posting, authorities are investigating how the boys were able to take possession of the Buick. According to reports, neither boy was wearing seat belts when the fatal accident happened.

Fatal Accident

Missouri Highway Patrol crash report states that the time of the accident happened between 4:00 and 4:30 in the afternoon. Both young kids were pronounced dead at the scene. Sheriff Darryl Forte of Jackson County, Missouri, was among the first ones to arrive at the scene of the accident. He shared some photos on Twitter showing several officials and emergency response vehicles at the scene of the accident.

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