Upstate New York Teen En Route To Prom Killed In Crash On I-84
MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Heading into the holiday weekend, a community in the northern suburbs is dealing with a tragedy.
A teenager on his way to the prom with his friends was killed when his car collided with a tractor trailer.
CBS 2's John Slattery spoke Friday with a passenger and a sister of the driver who was lost.
Students from Middletown High School consoled each other and the sister of the teen who was killed.
"I broke down. I broke down in tears. I didn't want to be there. I couldn't handle it," Jasmar Colon said.
Dead is her 17-year-old brother Armando Colon, whose friends called him "Mondo." He was killed in an accident driving three friends on the way to their high school prom. From the looks of the car, it's amazing anyone survived. Jason Avita, who was in the front passenger seat, suffered a broken collar bone.
"He's not gone. He's just off duty right now," Avita said.
The 1997 Acura was smashed on the front left side, where Colon was at the wheel. The car was merging from Route 17 onto Interstate-84 when it collided with the wheels of a tractor trailer. The 44-year-old driver of the tractor-trailer, who is from Tennessee, was not issued any summonses.
"He hit a wet spot and it hydroplaned. That caused the vehicle to move out of its area and spin and the truck hit him," Middletown Schools Superintendent Ken Eastwood said.
Incredibly, the two passengers in the back, a boy and a girl, were not hurt. One girl Slattery spoke to was to be Colon's date.
"Mondo was my prom date, one of my best friends," Jacie Gonzales said.
For the friends, and especially for Colon's sister, it was a day they will never forget.
For students who expected it to be a time of year-end celebrations, it's suddenly a time of sadness and planning for a funeral.
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