JUPITER -- Three elderly people were killed after their car veered off Interstate 95 and went into a drainage ditch full of highway runoff water.

The victims, who were in a Honda CRV, are from New York and New Jersey. Florida Highway Patrol officials identified the driver as Albert Koeniges, 80, of Haworth, New Jersey, and the passengers as Ann T. Lane, 75, of Wanaque, New Jersey and

Lore T. Brunetti, 73, Carmel, New York.

The accident happened shortly after 2 p.m. Sunday just north of the Donald Ross Road exit when the car, which was traveling south, swerved off the road, hit a light poll, struck a cement culvert and was launched into the pit. The pit is between the highway and Florida's Turnpike. The car's right front tire was not attached to the front axle when All Florida towing pulled the vehicle from the pit about two hours after the accident.

All three people were in cardiac arrest when they were pulled from the vehicle, said Capt. Don DeLucia, spokesman for Palm Beach County Fire Rescue.

The people in the car were two women, ages 73 and 75, and one 80-year-old man. One person was taken to Jupiter Medical Center. The other two people were taken to St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach.