Victims of Car Accident Identified

April 9, 2012
By Akane Otani

Ithaca Police released the names of the people involved in the fatal car accident that occurred Sunday on Route 13.

Dominique Slaughter-Smith, 20, from Fairburn, Ga., and Ithaca resident Prince J. Griffith, 21, died after their car collided roof-first with a utility pole at the intersection of Cascadilla and North Fulton Street at approximately 3:54 a.m. Although the Ithaca Fire Department and personnel from Bangs Ambulance provided medical assistance, both Slaughter-Smith and Griffith died at the scene of the accident due to injuries sustained in the crash, a police report stated.

Two other passengers in the vehicle — Ithaca resident Rakim D. Slaughter, 24, and Isiah Mack, 19, from Brooklyn, N.Y. — were transported to trauma centers Sunday after the accident, the report stated. As of Monday, Mack had been released from a hospital in Sayre, Pa. Slaughter remained hospitalized in critical condition at a trauma center in Syracuse, N.Y.

While police are still investigating the cause of the accident, they said that “it is known that the speed of the vehicle was one factor in the cause of this crash.” Police said only one vehicle appeared to have been involved in the accident.

The crash left street signs for Cascadilla and North Fulton Street dented, and a torn powerline loose on the ground.

As of Monday, Route 13 — which was shut down Sunday after the accident — had been reopened to traffic.

Members of the Ithaca Police and the New York State Police Forensic Investigation Unit are currently determining the placement of the passengers inside the vehicle prior to the crash, as well as other contributing factors to the accident.

Police said Monday afternoon that no other details could be provided because investigations are ongoing.