P’ville Teenager Crashes Car in Pa., Leaves Three Dead

September 4, 2014 Examiner Media Pleasantville

A 15-year-old Pleasantville girl faces criminal charges after she lost control of the car she was driving last Saturday in the Poconos killing three Pennsylvania teenagers who were passengers in the vehicle.

The car, a 2001 Chevrolet Suburban and registered to the father of the girl, flipped over multiple times after the right tire traveled off the road while she was maneuvering around a left hand curve, authorities said.

The ages of the three teenage boys killed in the one-car accident were not released. They were were from Bucks County, Pa., which is north of Philadelphia,

The driver, along with a 16-year-old Westchester girl and a 15-year-old Bucks County male who also were passengers in the vehicle, were treated for injuries at local hospitals.

The name of the girl who drove the car was not released by Pennsylvania State Police or the Wayne County, Pa. district attorney’s office pending an investigation. Criminal charges are expected to be filed against the driver and would be in compliance with the Pennsylvania Juvenile Act, which prevents criminal matters involving juveniles from being disclosed to the public, the district attorney’s office confirmed.

“This is a parent’s worst nightmare and a terrible tragedy that the Pennsylvania State Police will investigate to the fullest,” Wayne County District Attorney Janine Edwards said in a released statement.

An eyewitness who saw the vehicle just before the 11:30 a.m. accident on Aug. 30 told police the car was allegedly traveling at a high rate of speed as the driver made her way down Goosepond Road in the Wallenpaupack Lake Estates development where the girl’s father owns a home in Lake Ariel, Pa., according to the district attorney’s office. It is believed that the two Westchester girls picked up the four Bucks County teens in the complex earlier that morning and were returning from breakfast at a local restaurant when the fatal accident occurred.

State police said 15-year-olds are not permitted to operate a motor vehicle under Pennsylvania state law. Although police did not comment on the ongoing investigation, they stated that it will be up to the district attorney to determine whether to press charges against the girl’s parents for allowing her to illegally operate the vehicle.

The district attorney would not make further comments on the case until the investigation is complete.