A Clarkstown North High School senior and honor student was killed last night after the car she and her friends were riding in struck another vehicle and rolled down an embankment.

Investigators say Joseph Nugent, 17, of New City, was driving a Toyota 4 Runner westbound on Route 17A near Jarmaine Road around 9 p.m. when he lost control, striking a van and sending the SUV down a near 60-foot embankment.

The van's driver, Nugent and two other passengers in the SUV were rushed to area hospitals with serious injuries. Investigators say that Dana Sassano, 17, also of New City, was ejected from Nugent's vehicle during the crash and taken to St. Anthony's Hospital where she died from her injuries.

Police say the teens were coming back from a day trip to a New Jersey ski resort. The possibility of slick roads or black ice conditions are being investigated as causes in the crash.