Tragedy struck Palm Beach County yesterday as two young men perished after their SUV plunged into a canal, authorities confirmed. Colton Peter Gearhart and Sebastian Constatin Gedroye, both 21, were identified as the victims of the fatal incident near the intersection of Hamlin Boulevard and 130th Trail North in West Palm Beach, as reported by CBS12.

The accident occurred after the driver Gearhart lost control of the 1999 Chevrolet Suburban during a left turn made at a high rate of speed, causing it to careen off the dirt roadway and over the grassy shoulder before ending up submerged in the canal, and the vehicle slid until it went into a canal, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue responders were on scene within three minutes of the 911 call about the vehicle submerged, according to CBS12.

Eyewitness reports and emergency responders' swift action led to the rapid discovery of the tragedy after a passerby alerted 911 at approximately 12:20 p.m. upon noticing the SUV underwater. Gedroye, a passenger in the SUV, along with driver Gearhart, were quickly located and retrieved by Palm Beach County Fire Rescue dive teams, as noted by WPTV.

Investigations by Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office traffic homicide investigator Scott Levey attribute the cause of the crash to speeding, the SUV skid a significant distance before plunging into the water, and despite the efforts of emergency services, both Gearhart and Gedroye were pronounced dead at the scene, the full incident report released by WPTV reveals. Autopsy and toxicology results are pending to determine if other factors may have played a role in the accident.