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Tyler Larsen, 24, of Mountain View, was one of two men killed in a crash early Thursday morning at Park Boulevard and Stanford Avenue, according to the Santa Clara County Coroner's Office.

Larsen is believed to have been the driver, Palo Alto Police Agent Dan Ryan said.

The passenger killed was David Colin Barge, 20, from Springfield, Va. Ryan said Barge had been living in the area for about eight months. The van was registered in his name.

Larsen and Barge were killed when their speeding minivan crashed into a tree at 3:39 a.m. Thursday morning at the south end of Peers Park, police reported.

The van hit a curb and a tree and spun out of control, wrapping around a second tree, police reported.

One occupant was pronounced dead at the scene and the second died at Stanford Hospital, police said. Firefighters took about 45 minutes to extract the occupants, removing the van's roof.

The police department's Specialized Traffic Reconstruction Team (STAR) is investigating the crash, Ryan reported. He said a preliminary finding suggests that the vehicle was speeding north on Park and the driver failed to stop at the stop sign at Stanford Avenue. The vehicle struck the curb and a tree as the road curved to the left just past the intersection.

Ryan said there was no evidence at the scene to suggest that alcohol was involved in the crash, but it may take a few days to make a final determination.

All vehicle and pedestrian traffic on Park Boulevard between Stanford Avenue and Leland Avenue will be closed during the STAR Team's investigation, Ryan said.

A patrol officer reported seeing a similar van, a Mercury Villager, at the Jack-in-the-Box at Cambridge Avenue and El Camino Real shortly before the crash. It had five young men in it, the officer reported, but apparently three had gotten out of the van prior to the crash.

— Palo Alto Weekly

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