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Crash investigation continues as community mourns 4 Stoughton HS students

STOUGHTON, Mass. — Hundreds gathered for a prayer service Monday evening to remember the four Stoughton High School students killed in a violent weekend crash.

Friends, loved ones, teachers and coaches came to St. James Church in Stoughton Monday to mourn the loss of the four young men, and pray for the recovery of the driver.

The memorial set up near the crash site continued to grow as people came to pay their respects to the victims.

Teenagers dressed in black stopped by the scene on Route 106 on Monday morning.

The State Police Accident Reconstruction team was at the scene for most of the morning.

"It's just a horrible situation all over," said Susan Anderson. "I wanted to show my son how important it is to follow safety driving."

Several people called 911 to report a car had slammed into a tree in the area of 558 West Street in East Bridgewater around 4 p.m. Saturday.

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First responders rushed to the scene and found the car, which was carrying five males.

Three of them, 17-year-old Christopher Desir, of Brockton, Eric Sarblah, 17, of Stoughton and Nick Joyce, 16, of Stoughton, were all pronounced dead at the scene.

A fourth teen, David Bell, 17, of Stoughton, died at a hospital.

"He loved life and he treated his friends and teammates like they were his brothers and sisters," said Solange Bell, David's mother. "Teachers were saying to me, the hallways will never be the same because he always had a smile."

The 17-year-old driver was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton before being brought to Boston Medical Center where he remains.

He has not been identified.

PREVIOUS: 4 Stoughton students dead, 1 injured in violent East Bridgewater crash

"It's still shocking," Nick Joyce's uncle, Mark Walker, said. "We still can't believe that this happened. Those kids, I mean, I think all of them were 17 or younger. I mean, to lose your life when it's just beginning? I can't even explain how hurt we are."

All four victims were athletes at Stoughton High School.

Grief counselors were made available to students and staff on Sunday, and will be made available at school starting Monday morning.

The superintendent of Stoughton Public Schools said the focus Monday will be on the students they lost and helping students, faculty and staff through this difficult time.

“To our students, I will say this: This is a shock and trauma for our entire community. It will not make sense because it does not make sense," Superintendent Marguerite Rizzi said in a statement. "For students, especially those who know the classmates involved in the crash, you will likely feel confused, angry and sad, and sometimes all at the same time. You are not alone in your grief and you should not feel alone. Know that the adults in our community will feel the same way.”

Police are still trying to figure out the cause of the crash and are looking into whether speed and the rain may have been contributing factors. Investigators still haven't confirmed how fast the car was going.

"I played with these kids since I was 8 years old so just hearing about the events that happened, you know kind of a part of me left with them - it's just really hard right now," said Matthew Hadley, a friend of the victims, said.

The State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section and East Bridgewater Police are actively investigating this incident.