15-Year-Old Girl Killed In Weymouth Crash Identified
WEYMOUTH (CBS) -- A girl killed after the SUV she was travelling with three fellow students crashed in Weymouth late Saturday night has been identified as 15-year-old Kate McCarthy of Weymouth.
Students, faculty and neighbors in Weymouth are devastated after the fatal crash, which also left the three others injured.
"It's surreal. You never think someone you saw every day is not going to be there anymore," classmate Cameron Dean said.
Police officers were called to the crash scene on Union Street around 11 p.m. Investigators say a male driver lost control of the SUV, smashing into a telephone pole, two parked cars and a tree.
Two of the passengers, including McCarthy, were ejected from the vehicle.
"She was a sophomore with a really bright future ahead of her. She brought happiness to everyone she was around," Dean said of McCarthy.
On Sunday morning, Steve Rodriguez was cleaning up the damage the SUV did to his front lawn and car.
Rodriguez, an EMT who was present at the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings and worked on youngest bombing victim Martin Richard, said he was sleeping Saturday night when he heard a crash outside and rushed to help.
The Boston firefighter said he initially got McCarthy breathing again. He said the emotion of the moment doesn't hit you until later.
"You're laying in bed one moment, and the next thing, you're trying to save a young lady's life," he said. "Afterwards is when you catch your breath and go, 'What the hell just happened?'"
McCarthy was rushed to South Shore Hospital in Weymouth, where she was pronounced dead.
The three other students, who haven't been identified, were also taken to the same hospital with unknown injuries.
The cause of the accident remains under investigation.
The four sophomores attend Arch Bishop Williams High School in Braintree. On Sunday, grief counselors were on hand and will be available the rest of the week.
McCarthy was on the lacrosse team. On Sunday, her teammates along with the entire school are heartbroken.
"All of the students are loved in the school. They're tremendous students and wonderful people. It's a great loss," Arch Bishop Williams High President Dennis Duggan told WBZ.
Officials posted a statement to the high school's Facebook page on Sunday.
"As a Catholic community of faith, we are deeply saddened by the serious automobile accident that occurred last night involving four of our students," the statement reads. "We ask for prayers for the families of the students involved and for the entire Archbishop Williams community."
The school plans to hold a prayer service at 1:30 p.m. Monday in the auditorium, and all after school activities and sports for the day have been cancelled.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Kim Tunnicliffe reports
