Orange County student killed in crash on Route 17

A car crash on Route 17 in Tuxedo resulted in the death of a 19-year-old Monroe-Woodbury High School student Tuesday. Police say the victim and a 17-year-old female passenger may have been speeding when

News 12 Staff

May 27, 2014, 9:45 PM

Updated 3,789 days ago

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A car crash on Route 17 in Tuxedo resulted in the death of a 19-year-old Monroe-Woodbury High School student Tuesday.
Police say the victim and a 17-year-old female passenger may have been speeding when the driver lost control of the car and slammed into a tree.
According to authorities, both teenagers were trapped inside the smashed Acura and their legs were pinned under the dashboard. Tuxedo firefighters had to use special tools to tear off the roof of the car.
The 19-year-old was taken out by helicopter and was supposed to head to Westchester Medical Center, but due to the seriousness of his injuries, the chopper made an emergency landing at Good Samaritan Hospital, where the teen later died. The female passenger was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital by ambulance with a laceration to the head. She is expected to recover.
Investigators say a number of factors may have contributed to the crash, including strong wind gusts, which are common to that stretch of Route 17, as well as high speed. One of the tires on the car at the time of the accident was a spare donut, which is much smaller than the rest of the tires and unfit for handling excessive speed.
Route 17 was closed in both directions for about an hour while police investigated the crash.