Bennington, Vermont - June 22, 2011
Raindrops trickle down the side of a burnt tree where family and friends have placed flowers, remembering three teenage boys of Bennington.
"They're going to be deeply missed, that's for sure," said Chris Burout, a family friend. "It's devastating, they had such a life ahead of them and to have it taken away so soon is a real tragedy."
Police responded to a call around 12 a.m. Wednesday. They found three unidentifiable victims in a Subaru on Overlea Road.
"Upon arrival the vehicle was found up against a tree fully engulfed in flames with flames reaching anywhere from 10 to 20 feet in the air," Bennington Police Sgt. Camillo Grande said.
When Chris Burout heard the news, he thought his son had died in the crash.
"Since they couldn't identify the boys that were in the car and the only report we heard was that it was a small vehicle, but we couldn't get a hold of our boy, finally we started calling around and got a hold of him," Burout said.
Upon further investigation and with the help of the Department of Motor Vehicles, police identified the victims as 17-year-old Arthur Erikson, or Arty to his friends, his 15-year-old brother whose name cannot be released due to his age and their friend Aaron Sprague, also 17.
"Arty, I have to say he was a really good friend, loved the kid, he was one of a kind, there was no other Arty," said friend Oliff Burout.
Mason Ingraham agreed, "He was known to be a real friendly outgoing kid, he'd break his back for anybody, always went out of his way to say 'hi' to people."
Police say there is no indication that alcohol was involved in the crash but that they won't receive toxicology reports for another 6 to 8 weeks.
They say speed is the biggest culprit. They were unable to determine if they three victims were wearing seat belts during the crash.
"Hopefully my boy will wake up and smell the coffee," Chris Burout said.
Family and friends say unfortunately tragedy has become a teacher with the lives of young friends lost; it's something this community will never forget. Grief counseling for students, family and friends has already begun at Mount St. Anthony High School. Anyone with more information is encouraged to contact Bennington Police -- www.benningtonvtpd.com -- 802-442-1030.
Susie Steimle - WCAX News
