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Wis. Crash Survivor's Condition Improves

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WCCO) -- Conditions have improved for one of the two teenagers who survived a crash that killed three others in Wisconsin.

According to Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire, Wis., 16-year-old Felicia Bertrang has been upgraded to fair condition Thursday morning.

She had been in critical following the single-car accident that killed driver 14-year-old Austin Gable as well as passengers 13-year-old Makena Johnson and 15-year-old Marco Perez.

Thirteen-year-old Ulises Ponce was also injured in the crash. His current condition was not reported.

The State Patrol said the crash happened near Eau Claire around 7 p.m. Tuesday after a car was seen speeding in Washington Township.

The vehicle crashed, rolled over and ended up at the bottom of a steep hill near the 6500 block of Walnut Road. All involved were reportedly students in the Eleva-Strum School District.

The county sheriff's office is still investigating, and a reconstruction team is working to determine the cause of the crash.

The sheriff said speed was a contributing factor, and toxicology tests will be conducted on the driver. Alcohol is not suspected in the crash, but investigators are looking into a Facebook post that suggests at least one of the passengers had been smoking marijuana.

Counselors are at the school to help classmates grieve.

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