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FHP Identifies UCF Students Killed In Crash While Speeding

Posted: 4:53 pm EDT April 5, 2006Updated: 5:26 pm EDT April 5, 2006

Two University of Central Florida students died and another was seriously injured while testing out a new part they had just installed on a car. Tuesday night, the three were driving on Challenger Parkway, east of Alafaya Trail, when they slammed into a tree.


IMAGES: Scene Of Crash That Killed UCF Students

Parents think they send their kids to college and in four years they come home. But, in this case, family members and fellow students got a call that there was a terrible accident. The car was going twice the speed limit when the driver lost control.

"Just waking up this morning, the whole thing seemed so surreal," said Neal Kippelman, a friend of the victim.

Fraternity members of Steven Lorenz, 18, can't believe what happened.

"It's hard to realize, when I wake up in the morning, I'm not going to be calling Steven," said Steven’s best friend Sean Winton.

Winton said Lorenz was into cars. He had just put a new part on the car for the driver, 24-year-old Maximillian Krumm, who was also a student. They were testing out the part, going at least 70 in a 35, when they crashed into a tree.

Krumm and Lorenz were killed. Lorenz's roommate, 18-year-old Ariel Poliak was in the backseat and was sent to the hospital. It happened Tuesday night, while Scott Gold and others were waiting for the group to join them for Gold’s birthday.

"After a while, we were worried. He didn't show. He's a punctual guy," Gold said.

Later in the night, they got the call. The Florida Highway Patrol said Lorenz and the driver died right away.

"It's terrible, you know. You send your kids to college and think and pray everything is going to be alright. Haven’t been there a year and you are called and told they were killed in a car crash," said Sgt. Jorge Delahoz, FHP.

The third victim, Ariel Poliak, is in stable condition.

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