WEST PALM BEACH, FL — A fatal crash in West Palm Beach caused an explosion just before 2023 began, killing two people.
The crash occurred minutes before midnight on New Year’s Eve at Block 2300 on South Flagler Drive along the West Palm Beach waterfront.
According to West Palm Beach police, James Cook IV, 47, was driving a 2022 Lucid Air when he somehow lost control, swerved south in the northbound lane, hit a palm tree and hit Flagler Drive. and crashed into a concrete wall at the corner of Granada Road. .
“I was standing there and within a block I hit something and it exploded,” neighbor Barbara Rikke told WPTV. “The fire went up 30 feet (in the air).”
Jasmine Robbie/WPTV
The unidentified Cook and passenger died at the scene.
“I’ve been to the Daytona 500, so I know the sound and the speed,” Rikke said. “They were going so fast…so out of control. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Another nearby resident said there was “really nothing left” when he saw the car.
“When I came down from the house, I saw the car completely destroyed,” he said.
Jasmine Robbie/WPTV
Police believe speed and aggressive driving contributed to the accident.
“What’s really heartbreaking is the fact that this could have been prevented,” said West Palm Beach Police spokesman Mike Jacles. Families have lost loved ones and are on vacation.”
A toxicology report is pending.
“I’ve never seen one before and have lived here for a long time,” said one resident.
