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Brothers Killed In Violent Single Car Crash

BOARDMAN, OH - State Highway Patrol Investigators believe speed was a major factor in a single car crash that killed two brothers in Boardman at around 3am Tuesday.

When emergency responders arrived on the scene near Glenwood Avenue and Shields Road it was clear that there was nothing they could do to save the 25-year-old driver of the car, Jose L. Mateo of South Schenley Avenue in Youngstown and his brother 21-year-old Dale Ross of West Harvey Street in Struthers.  Mateo was ejected from his 1993 Honda Civic and his brother who was wearing a seat belt was still strapped in, but both died on impact according to the Commander of the State Highway Patrol Post in Canfield, Lieutenant Chris Heverly, "We determined the car was traveling north bound on Glenwood at a high rate of speed and had just got North of Shields Road, drifted off the right side of the road and first struck a curb, then an embankment and became airborne.  Then the car started to rotate, struck a large tree and split in half."

Even after the vehicle hit the tree the front of the car traveled about 60-feet North on to Park Place, "When he went airborne, the actual vehicle started to rotate and the actual impact was with the roof, and it completely split from the rear, so it was quite an impact."

Mateo who was driving the vehicle has a history of traffic offenses and other charges including an OVI or operating a vehicle while intoxicated from 2009 where he pleaded guilty.

Now traffic investigators will work to determine how fast the car was traveling and sort out if other factors were involved according to Lieutenant Heverly, "We're taking blood samples so that they will be analyzed by our crime lab to determine if there's alcohol or drugs or something else involved."

But no matter what the cause of the crash it can't erase a loss that's doubly painful for the family of the victims.