Police said Stephen Melanson, 44; his wife Tanya Melanson, 44; and John Marshall, 46, died in the collision in the east end of Saint John. They were all from city.
Marshall was the driver of the car.
Firefighters had to use the jaws of life to extract their bodies from the wreckage of the two-door Hyundai rental.
Three people who were in a Honda CRV sports vehicle were taken to hospital, where the driver was listed in serious condition.
One passenger is under observation at the hospital while the third was treated and released.
The accident happened on a curve of Loch Lomond Road near the city's airport early in the morning.
Sgt. Pat Bonner, a spokesman for the Saint John police, said three accident experts were at the scene, and an investigation is underway into the cause of the crash.
The crash occurred only 10 metres from the door of Joseph LeBlanc.
He said he was just waking up when, ''There was one great, big loud thump, and I said, 'Oh my God.'''
LeBlanc said he looked from his patio door to see the smashed Hyundai resting in the middle of the highway and the SUV sitting on the side of the sidewalk.
''I said, 'I'd better call 911.'''
Sunday's crash occurred only a few houses away from where a car catapulted from the road and crashed into the second storey of a house, killing the 25-year-old driver.
That accident occurred in 2002. (New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal)
