WASHINGTON — Two Westlake High School students were killed and another was injured after a car crashed into a utility pole Friday afternoon in Waldorf, Maryland.
The driver, 17-year-old Colin Bipat, and passenger Desmond Cook, also 17, were pronounced dead at
the scene. Another passenger, 18-year-old Caleb Marshall, was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
The victims were involved in career-oriented programs outside of school, said Westlake Principal Michael Meiser, which is why they weren’t on school property that time of day. The two killed were just months from graduation, he said.
“I left the school today with a real pit in my stomach,” he said. “This one really hurt.”
The crash occurred around 12:30 p.m. near the intersection of Smallwood Drive and St. Nicholas Drive. Their car was apparently speeding when it reached a congested area, said Maj. Chris Becker of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office .
To avoid the vehicles, Bipat swerved to the left and crashed into a utility pole. The force of the crash split the car in two and sent part of the car across the intersection.
To Westlake’s principal, this was an all-too-familiar tragedy: He lost a sister to a car accident when she, too, was a senior in high school, he said.
“We remember the good times that we had with the kids and people while they’re here, and we celebrate that,” Meiser said,
“We share our griefs together, and we move forward.”
