A New Holland man was killed Sunday and his four passengers are fighting for their lives after an early morning high-speed crash in East Earl Township.

Alcohol was a factor in the 1 a.m. crash in the 900 block of Gault Road, East Earl Township police said.

William McCardle, 20, was driving a Volkswagen convertible when he lost control of the car while passing another vehicle in a no-passing zone, police said. McCardle, of New Holland, died on the way to Lancaster General Hospital.

Police said the westbound VW was traveling too fast, veered off the roadway, traveled up an embankment and became airborne. The car careened into a tree, then stopped when it hit a larger tree head-on, officials said.

Two passengers — 18-year-old Morgan Nuessle and a teenage girl — were ejected from the convertible. Two other passengers — Amy Boley, 21, and another woman — remained in the car, seriously injured.

Police said Sunday night they are not yet releasing the name of the woman for reasons relevant to the investigation. She was in critical condition late Sunday night.

The teenage girl wasn't named because she is a juvenile.

A dozen medical vehicles responded to the crash. Firefighters, police and medics had to maneuver through a plot of trees to reach the vehicle.

Two of the three people still in the car were trapped by the wreckage. Rescuers removed doors and the windshield to free them.

A SkyCare medical helicopter flew the seriously-injured teenage girl to Hershey Medical Center. She was still there at press time Sunday night.

McCardle, a 2006 Garden Spot High School graduate, died in the ambulance on the way to Lancaster General Hospital. Deputy coroner Kelly Lingg pronounced McCardle dead at the hospital.

Lancaster County Coroner Dr. Stephen Diamantoni said an autopsy this morning will include blood tests for alcohol and drugs. Such tests are typical in motor vehicle deaths, the coroner said. Officials didn't elaborate Sunday on how many of the five individuals had been drinking, just saying alcohol — and excessive speed — led to the crash.

Boley, Nuessle and the unnamed woman were being treated Sunday night at Lancaster General Hospital. Boley and Nuessle are in serious condition, according to a nursing supervisor.

Part of Gault Road was closed through Sunday morning while police investigated the crash. The demolished black VW was embedded in the ground by the impact. It was later pulled out of the woods and towed away on a flat-bet trailer.

The VW left a trail of tire marks that showed its path off the road and into the woods.

The Lancaster County District Attorney's office is assisting police in the investigation.

Helping at the crash scene were police personnel from New Holland and state police. Firefighters from stations in New Holland, Blue Ball and White Horse also assisted.

Sunday's crash came less than a month after a two-vehicle collision in nearby Leacock Township claimed the lives of four young people. Police are still investigating what caused that crash, but have ruled out alcohol as a cause.

Two teenage brothers — Mervin and Mahlon Lapp — died soon after the March 29 wreck. Stephen K. Beiler Jr., 20, and Amos Lee Beiler, 20, died in the days that followed.

E-mail: bhambright@lnpnews.com