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Two teenagers killed in Madisonville crash identified

Two men stopped to try and help the girls after the crash until EMS arrived

MADISONVILLE, La. — The Northshore community is shaken over a deadly car crash near Madisonville. 

St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's deputies say it was a single-car crash, and two of the four 16-year-old girls inside died.

The St. Tammany Coroner's office identified the deceased girls as Makayla Bonura and Chloe Shartle.

Authorities were out at the scene all day Wednesday, piecing together the early morning crash. They say speed was a factor, and those who saw the aftermath say they're left shaken.

"The car was literally ripped in half, like, one half of the car was probably a hundred feet away from the other half of the car," Drew Alessi said.

"I held one of the girl's hands and I told her she was going to be alright," said Alessi's friend, Brecken Taylor.

Alessi and Taylor were driving on Guste Island Road when they came across the haunting scene.

"Honestly, while it was happening,  I couldn't really process it," Taylor said.

"I'm still in shock honestly," Alessi said. "There were pieces of car everywhere."

St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's deputies say around midnight Wednesday, the girls were speeding south on the curvy road. The car left the pavement, hitting two trees, a utility box and two signs. The two men happened to drive by shortly after and immediately stopped to try and help.

"There was no ambulances here and we didn't know what was going on," Taylor said.

"We're really far out here and in the middle of nowhere and people come down here all the time really fast," Alessi said.

When ambulances arrived, two of the girls were taken to a hospital. And as authorities work to figure out what happened, Alessi and Taylor say their hearts hurt about this tragic situation.

"Every time you get behind the wheel, think about your family, follow the guidelines, because you don't know who you can hurt," Taylor said.

"Hearing those screams, I'm going to put my seat belt on every time I get behind the wheel and I'm not going to speed ever again," Alessi said.

The sheriff's department says one girl in the hospital is critical at this time. 

Eyewitness News spoke with several people in the area who say speeding is a problem along the road and would love to see some sort of signage, gate or light be installed to slow traffic down.

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