NEW YORK – Authorities have identified the three teenage girls who died in a fiery crash on Staten Island Sunday night whose driver should not have been behind the wheel.
According to police, the deceased victims were: Ashley Rodríguez, 15, and the sisters Fernanda, 16, and Jesie Gil, 15, who were all passengers in the red sports Mustang driven by another 17-year-old minor when the vehicle and a black SUV collided between Hyland Boulevard and Richard Avenue shortly before 9 p.m.
The teen, who investigators say was speeding when he hit the left-turning SUV, survived the crash that split the Mustang in half. He was taken to a hospital with serious injuries.
The 16-year-old driver’s uncle said families are heartbroken and his nephew was seriously injured and will now live knowing that three of his friends will never come home.
Transportation officials say Hyland Boulevard has one of the highest accident rates in New York City. A stretch of highway near Richard Avenue is notorious for crashes and is part of a redesign plan that has been months in the making, the Department of Transportation commissioner said Monday.
“It should be a stark reminder that speeding and reckless driving have potentially deadly consequences for all New Yorkers,” said Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez.
City officials also acknowledge that there were other factors that played into this crash, including speed and lack of seat belts. Investigators said that after splitting in half, the Mustang continued to roll down the road, ripping out a mailbox and cutting down a tree.
The wrecked car stopped next to a utility pole.
Driving laws in New York state state that anyone holding a junior learner’s permit, which would apply to drivers under the age of 17, must be accompanied by a guardian or driving instructor between the hours of 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.
The 47-year-old man driving the black SUV is expected to survive, but he shouldn’t have been behind the wheel either, as he now faces charges of driving with a suspended license. Four other passengers in the truck suffered minor injuries.
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