Skamania County, WA : West Linn High School juniors Cooper Hill and Antonio Caballero killed in a car crash in the Columbia River Gorge on Saturday, February 21, 2015

Two West Linn High School students were killed in a traffic crash on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge on Saturday morning, according to police and several school sources.

Several sources, including coaches and family friends, identified the teens as juniors Cooper Hill, who was on the school's lacrosse team, and Antonio Caballero.

The boys were reportedly among several students on a hiking trip in Skamania County. The crash occurred around noon on State Route 14 at mile post 54 near the Dog Mountain Trailhead, according to a Washington State Patrol memo released late Saturday.

According to the report, the 16-year-old driver of the 2006 Honda Accord carrying Hill and Caballero was following a Chevrolet Cruze driven by an unnamed 17-year-old boy. The Cruze missed the turn for the Dog Mountain Trailhead and stopped in the middle of the road, the memo said.

The driver of the Honda Accord attempted to brake to avoid the collision and was rear-ended by a Jeep Wrangler driven by Michael Calarco, 35, of Portland, police said. The force of the collision pushed the Honda into the Cruze, according to the report.

"Driver inattention" was listed as the cause of the crash. The report said it was unknown if the boys were wearing seat belts.

Joe Monahan, West Linn's baseball coach, said the boys were in the back seat of the Accord and two students who played on the baseball team last year were in the driver and passenger seats.

"The two boys in the back seat were killed," Monahan said.

Source :
Two West Linn High students killed in Columbia Gorge highway crash