A 16-year-old girl was killed Thursday afternoon when the car she was riding in was pushed into oncoming traffic, according to WBAL-TV.
Blake Elliott, a junior at C Milton Wright High School in Bel Air, Maryland, and a standout soccer player, was a passenger in a vehicle driven by a 17-year-old boy. The car had pulled into the intersection of Route 543 and Crescent Knoll Road to make a left turn. Witnesses said the wheels were already turned when the car was struck from behind by another vehicle, driven by a 39-year-old man who appeared to be talking on his cellphone.
The impact forced the teens’ car into the path of a school bus carrying students home from the high school, about a mile away. The bus driver was unable to stop before colliding with the car. “The school bus went right over him, so they had to cut him out,” one witness told WBAL.
The 17-year-old driver was airlifted to Shock Trauma with life-threatening injuries. The driver of the vehicle that rear-ended them was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. No injuries were reported among the students or driver on the school bus.
The tragedy has shaken the C Milton Wright community. Friday’s football game was postponed until Monday, WMAR-TV reported, and the school planned a vigil at 7 pm Friday to honor Blake’s memory.
A GoFundMe campaign established to support the family has already raised more than $96,000.
In a message to families, Principal Bryan Pawlicki wrote: “As many of you know, our school community suffered a tragic loss last night with the passing of one of our students. Another student from our school is currently being treated for serious injuries at the hospital. I am very proud of the way our students came together this morning to support one another.”