A car in which three teenagers died when it plunged into a river has been recovered amid eye-witness claims that the vehicle may have accidentally been put into the wrong gear before it crashed through a metal barrier.
The bodies of two boys and one girl were recovered from the River Wear on Tuesday night when the black Audi A3 went through a barrier near Wearmouth Bridge in Sunderland.
A 17-year-old boy managed to escape the wreckage and was initially taken to hospital but is now in police custody having been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
Northumbria Police officers are still trying to ascertain who was driving the car at the time of the crash.
The teenagers were all students at Sunderland College. A spokesman called their deaths a ‘heartbreaking loss for our college community.’
The car involved in the incident was slowly lifted out of the water with a crane at 1.20pm today.
It was severely damaged at the front and appeared to have its bonnet missing.
The crash site by the river is well-known for youths driving cars erratically, including performing ‘donuts’ where the vehicle rotates in a circle to create skid marks, locals have said.
Such skid marks were visible at the scene today.
The vehicle was pulled from the water just 24 hours after the crash which claimed the lives of three teenagers
A 17-year-old boy is in police custody after being arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving
Skid marks caused by vehicles circling in the area are visible at the scene of the crash
But one girl who witnessed the crash at around 1.30pm on Tuesday and then telephoned the emergency services said there was no sign of the driver of the vehicle showing off before the incident.
The 17-year-old, who did not want to be named, said: ‘The car came down into the car park and it parked up in a bay in front of the barriers. There was nothing unusual in the way it was driving.
‘The driver and a passenger got out and had a quick chat. I don’t know for sure, but when they got back into the car, I think they might have swapped positions, so the passenger was driving.
‘All of a sudden, the car just flew through the barrier. It was as if the driver had tried to reverse and put the car in first gear by accident.’
She added: ‘We just heard this crash and saw the car go through the barrier and then the screeching noise of the bottom of the car scraping against the side of the river wall.
‘I phoned 999 and by that time the boy had got out. He had gone under as if he was looking for the car but then came straight back up.
‘He then swam around to the other side of the car and was screaming “help”.
‘He swam to a ladder and climbed out. An onlooker grabbed a life ring and ran to the edge of the water, as though he was waiting for someone to come back up, but no-one did.
‘I was so shocked by the whole thing, I was trying to rattle everything off to the police.
‘All the emergency services arrived so quickly, fire engines, ambulances, and the boy who got out was over on the concrete.
‘People on social media have been saying they were doing donuts but they weren’t, those marks were definitely from other people.’
A spokesman for Sunderland College said: ‘We are deeply saddened to hear three students from our Bede Campus tragically lost their lives yesterday afternoon.
‘This is a heartbreaking loss for our college community, and the wider city of Sunderland.
‘Everyone at Sunderland College extends our heartfelt thoughts and deepest condolences to their families, friends, and loved ones at this incredibly difficult time.
‘We also pay tribute to the emergency services and all those who responded at the scene.
‘Support is available to any students or our colleagues who may be affected by this tragedy and ask that the privacy of the families of those involved is respected.’
Police have said no other vehicle was believed to have been involved in the incident.
Chief Supt Scott Cowie, of Northumbria Police, said: ‘Our thoughts very much continue to be with the loved ones of those who have tragically lost their lives.
‘We will support them in any way that we can at this devastating time and ask that their privacy is respected.
‘We also recognise the impact this tragedy will have on the wider community, and know that everyone will come together to support one another.’
He added: ‘The investigation into the circumstances leading to the car entering the water remains ongoing.’
