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A grieving mother is on her way to Perth from New Zealand after her teenage son's life was cut short in a crash at Scarborough.
His 19-year-old passenger survived the impact, which was so strong the car's engine smashed into the front seats.
Police said the teenagers were the only people inside the Honda Accord sedan when it veered off Scarborough Beach Road and crashed head-on into a tree near Abbett Street just after midnight.
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"Mounted the kerb, airborne, then went flying into the tree," witness Oscar Poppelwell said.
Inspector Vic Hussey said the scene was "very confronting" for emergency services.
"The engine of the vehicle has actually come into the passenger area," he said.
"The vehicle is in a very, very bad state and it was pretty hard for us to actually work out what car it was when we arrived."
Witnesses said there was no sound of tyres screeching or braking before the collision.
Locals have dubbed the intersection where the crash occurred as "siren central" after they have witnessed countless crashes on the stretch of road.
The driver was freed from the wreckage but couldn't be saved. The passenger was taken to Royal Perth Hospital.
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