A 16-year-old girl was killed and three other teens were hurt in a crash Thursday night on Interstate 190 in Leominster, according to Massachusetts State Police.
State police responded to the crash shortly after 7 p.m. on the northbound side of the highway. A 2001 Ford Mustang that the four teens were riding in went off the highway, down an embankment and into the wood line, according to a preliminary investigation by state police.
The Mustang was driving north in the right lane, when it moved into the left lane as it approached other vehicles on the road, state police said. That's when the car lost control, spun and went off the right side of the road, according to troopers.
A 16-year-old girl from Ayer, who was a passenger in the Mustang, was killed in the crash, state troopers said Friday morning. Another 16-year-old girl, who is from Shirley, along with two 18-year-old men, one from Shirley and another from Bolton, were all taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
Leominster firefighters had to extricate three of the victims, who were trapped or underneath the car. First responders described it as very challenging.
"We could hear people screaming, we could hear certain things but we couldn’t tell where they were. Time was of an essence," Lt. Shawn McKenna of the Leominster Fire Rescue said.
The cause of the crash is under investigation, which is being conducted by the State Police-Leominster Barracks, the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, the State Police Crime Scene Services Section and the State Police Detective Unit for Worcester County. Speed was mentioned by police as a possible factor.
"All of us at ASRSD are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of one of our students, an eleventh grader, who died in a car accident yesterday. We, the faculty, students, and staff of ASRSD, wish to extend our deepest sympathy and heart-felt condolences to the families, relatives, many friends, and classmates," Superintendent of the Ayer Shirley Regional School District Dr. Adam Renda wrote in a letter to the community dated Friday. "In order to assist our students and staff cope with the great sadness and shock of this tragedy, I requested and obtained needed support and resources of mental health staff throughout the district."
In a letter to parents, Ayer Shirley Regional High School Principal Spencer Christie wrote that the school held a meeting with the eleventh grade class and provided them with access to district grief and mental health support during the school day. Parents were told they can contact the main office of the school to have their child dismissed if the news is too overwhelming for them.
"We were like freaking out and trying seeing who wasn’t there," Abby Alberga, a member of the junior class, said.
The letter notes that another one of the victims who was hurt in the crash was also a student at the high school. Alberga said the two girls are best friends.
The driver was an 18-year-old young man from Shirley, the fourth teen an 18-year-old young man from Bolton. They also have serious injuries.
Authorities have not identified the name of the girl killed.
