Griswold High School is in mourning after four students,three juniors and a sophomore died when their car crashed along Route 201 near Route 138 in Griswold just after 4:30 Tuesday afternoon.The dead have been indentified as 16 year olds John Clapper ,Sativa Cornell,Dillon Clifford and 15 year old Steven Szklarz.16 year old Joel Gallup was critically injured and was taken to Backus Hospital in Norwich and the transferred to Yale New Haven Hopsital
Clapper was driving the car and lost control of the vehicle striking a tree.Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the crash.Grief counselors are working with students at Griswold High School.Superintendent of Schools Paul Freeman says the mood at the school is “very quiet”.He says “it is a huge loss for our community and Everybody in our school and everybody in town is feeling it right now”.
The crash occurred as Connecticut marks Teen Safe Driving Week.Tuesday motor vehicle officials announced fatal crashes involving 16 and 17 year old drivers were at a 12 year low.