LAUREL HILL — A Laurel Hill teenager died in an early Sunday morning traffic accident.
Chase James Paul Locke, 19, of Laurel Hill was driving west on Steele Mill Creek Road around 4:30 a.m. and failed to maintain control of the vehicle, according to a Florida Highway Patrol media release.
Locke drove a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado into the northern ditch along westbound Steele Mill Creek Road, striking an embankment, according to the FHP. The vehicle came to final rest on Steele Mill Creek Road’s westbound lane.
Benny Lee Howell, 19, of Laurel Hill was a passenger who died in the accident; Locke received minor injuries, according to the FHP.
An alcohol investigation is pending; both men were not wearing their seat belts, according to the FHP media release.
Both the driver and passenger attended Laurel Hill School, according to an Okaloosa County Schools spokesperson, who said the district would send grief counselors to LHS on Monday morning.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Laurel Hill teen dies in traffic accident