Six Teens Die in Crash

C R E S T O N, Ohio, Dec. 27 -- A car apparently traveling too fast wentoff the side of a rural road and hit a tree early today,killing six of the seven teen-agers in the vehicle, the StateHighway Patrol said.

The accident happened about 1:30 a.m. in Canaan Township in Wayne County, about 60 miles south of Cleveland. The driver, Jeffrey Kaufmann, and six passengers were not wearing seat belts, the patrol said.

The patrol said unsafe speed was the preliminary cause of the crash. Killed were Kaufmann, 18, of Rittman; Paul Marshall III, 15, Cory Pelfrey, 18, and Bruce Campbell, 14, all of Creston; and Christie Elliston, 13, and Jennifer Elliston, 14, both of Wooster.

Katie Gonzalez, 14, of Creston, was taken by helicopter to Akron Children’s Hospital where she was in serious condition Wednesday morning, a nursing supervisor said.

Alcohol and drugs apparently were not factors in the crash, the patrol said.