GARY | Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter has called for an outside investigation of the car crash that killed two Gary teens last weekend.

Accident investigators from the Lake County Sheriff's Department will review "all aspects" of the crash, Carter said, and will reconstruct evidence from the scene they receive from Gary police.

Carter said he asked for another agency's guidance in light of the firestorm of accusations surrounding the deadly wreck.

"At some point, the case will come to us," Carter said. "I think an independent review, in addition to what Gary has done, will be beneficial."

The third-party probe will focus mainly on the accident that killed Brandon Smith and Dominique Green, both 18, and not on police response to the crash, which relatives of the dead teens have widely criticized, Lake County police said.

Relatives of the two West Side High School students have chastised Gary police, saying officers did not search for the men, who were ejected from a car that smashed through a guard rail and plunged into a ravine along the 2700 block of Chase Street.

Arthur Smith, Brandon's father, found his son and Green hours after the crash in a nearby wooded ditch.

Carter said he would like a review of "everything that took place that night," including police response, but county police said the scope of their work will remain focused on the crash.

Gary police have the right to hold their own internal investigation of officer conduct, Carter said.

Gary's traffic accident investigator, Cpl. Agnes Roberts, is expected to meet with county reconstructionists to review the incident, Gary Cmdr. Bruce Outlaw said Thursday.

"It's good to get another opinion," Outlaw said. "We're not going to discount any assistance."

Outlaw said he would not characterize the county's role as overriding Gary's control of the case.

The driver of the car, Darius Moore, has said one of the tires blew out, causing him to lose control. Police said Moore was speeding and that he and fellow survivor DeAndre Anderson, both 17, had been drinking prior to the crash.

County Police Chief Marco Kuyachich said his department will analyze the car and crash dynamics, including the car's black box if there is one. County police will give their findings to Gary police and the prosecutor's office.

The announcement comes just days after Gary police Cmdr. Samuel Roberts defended his department and told The Times that a third-party overview would not be necessary.

"We don't see where we acted improperly," Roberts said at the time. "I don't know what they're complaining about. A search was done."

Outraged family members have called for Gary Police Chief Thomas Houston to resign.

Times staff writer Bill Dolan contributed to this report.