Teen was using Facebook Live at time of fatal car wreck
TOBYHANNA, Pa. -- An 18-year-old girl was live-streaming herself as she drove along a Pennsylvania highway in the moments before the crash that killed her and a passenger.
State police say Brooke Miranda Hughes was broadcasting live video on Facebook while driving slowly in the right lane of Interstate 380 near Tobyhanna. The passenger, 19-year-old Chaniya Morrison-Toomey, can be heard asking, “Are you going live?”
Before Hughes can answer, lights flash inside the car, followed by the sound of screeching tires, the (Scranton) Times-Tribune reported.
Both teens died after a tractor-trailer plowed into the back of their car just after midnight Tuesday. The driver of the truck was unhurt.
The video continued for another seven minutes, showing only blackness, the newspaper reported. At the end, a man is heard speaking and a blurry, bearded face can be seen before it ends.
The teens were driving on a spare tire, said Pennsylvania State Trooper Dave Peters. State police initially reported the teens were driving with a flat tire, but it’s now unclear if that was the case. The fiery wreck badly damaged the car, making it difficult to determine its original condition, Peters said.
The video has been taken off Hughes’ Facebook page. State police say they will use the footage in their investigation.