By Dan Shaw

Police believe alcohol and speeding contributed to a crash that killed two Fountain County teenagers Thursday night.

Justin Ricketts, 16, of Hillsboro, and Kyle Bacon, 16, of Veedersburg died when the 2005 Dodge Durango in which they were riding struck a tree around 11:15 p.m. Thursday. They had been traveling on Zackmire Road, a gravel road in south Fountain County.

Three other people in the vehicle were taken to hospitals.

Pennie Ricketts, Justin Rickett's mother, said riding horses, fishing and playing football were among her son's favorite activities. At 6-foot-1 and about 180 pounds, he excelled at physical labor, and he would often help out neighboring farmers. His plan for the future was to obtain a general education diploma and go into construction work, she said.

"He was a very strong man," she said.

Justin Ricketts attended schools in several districts in the area, including Covington Community School Corp. and North Montgomery School Corp.

Pennie Ricketts said he was recently expelled from Fountain Central Jr.-Sr. High School because he was often getting into mischief.

"He's got a track record of orneriness," she said. "He was just a typical teenager."

Kyle Bacon's mother, Michelle, declined to talk about her son.

Kirk Booe, principal of Covington High School, said Kyle Bacon attended classes there for about a semester after he had transferred from Southeast Fountain School Corp. Kyle Bacon later withdrew from the school and was home-schooled, Booe said.

"They were students of Covington High School at one time, and they obviously had developed friendships," he said. "It's a very unfortunate situation for their friends here and family members."

The three others in the crash included the owner of the vehicle, Charles Smallwood, 24, of rural Wallace. He was airlifted to Wishard Hospital in Indianapolis and was listed in serious condition Friday.

Justin Ricketts' sister, Lacy Ricketts, 19, was the driver of the Durango and was taken to St. Clare Medical Center, where she was treated for minor injuries and released. Kyle Bacon's cousin, Todd Bacon, 15, was treated and released from the same hospital.

Wallace P. Hooker, Fountain County deputy coroner, said police smelled alcohol at the crash scene and found alcoholic beverages there. And the damage to the vehicle suggested that it had been speeding before striking the tree, he said.

Zackmire Road is narrow, curvy and made of loose gravel, he said.

The vehicle struck the tree on the passenger side of its front end, he said.

Kyle Bacon was sitting in the right rear seat and was trapped under the vehicle. He died from trauma to the chest. Justin Ricketts was sitting in the middle rear seat and was ejected from the Durango. Smallwood was in the front passenger seat.

Todd Bacon was in the rear seat on the driver's side and walked away from the accident, as did Lacy Ricketts.

No one was wearing a seat belt, but police doubted the two lives would have been saved if they had because of the violence of the crash. The vehicle's air bags deployed after the impact.