GRIFFITH | A car accident in Griffith on Sunday left one man dead and sent a woman to a hospital, friends of the victims said.

The crash on 45th Street near Wiggs Avenue happened about 8:15 p.m.

When police and fire crews arrived on the scene, a gray Pontiac car was wrapped around a small tree, facing eastbound near the Fountainhead Apartments on 45th.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known.

Griffith resident Anne Marie Goodman was on the scene during the investigation and said the male victim was her son's best friend.

"I tell these boys to be careful," Goodman said, sobbing. She described the situation as "a mom having her worst nightmare realized when you see children you've known your whole life and watched grow up. You feel for them just as if it was one of your own."

At least 30 people, many of whom knew the victims, watched as police and fire crews worked at the scene. Police blocked off the westbound and eastbound lanes of 45th Street to investigate the crash.

The Lake County coroner's office and Griffith Fire and Police departments were still on the scene late Sunday night and could not be reached for comment.