The Pennridge School District has confirmed that a Pennridge High School student was the teenage driver who lost their life in a single-car accident on Allentown Road in Franconia on Wednesday night.
"The Pennridge High School community suffered a great loss last night with the passing of an 11th-grade student. Our thoughts, prayers, and full support go out to their family," said district superintendent David A. Bolton in a statement on Thursday.
The accident occurred at around 10:50 p.m. on May 17 in the 200 block of Allentown Road, Franconia Township Police Department announced on Thursday morning.
Arriving officers found that a 2016 BMW sedan had gone off the road and crashed into an occupied house. The car was "completely engulfed in flames," according to police, and officers and Souderton Fire Department members worked to extinguish the fire before it spread to the house.
"The driver, who was the only occupant of the vehicle and identified as a 16-year-old Sellersville resident, was pronounced dead at the scene," police said.
All five occupants inside the house were unharmed, and the house was inspected by Franconia Fire Chief and the code compliance department, who declared the property structurally unsafe, police said. The family is being relocated, and the house was secured by Moyer's Restoration, according to police, and there were no injuries among officers, firefighters or members of the public.
In an afternoon statement on Thursday, Bolton said the student was a junior at Pennridge High School who had "joined the PHS family last year as a 10th grade student and this year attended the Automotive Technology School and received their high school courses through our virtual programming."
"This loss will surely generate many emotions, concerns, and questions for our entire school community, especially for our students, their families, and our staff. The child's mother has also asked us to continue speaking with other parents about the importance of safe driving," Bolton said.
School crisis intervention teams are available to assist students, parents, and school staff, in addition to external resources, and the superintendent urged students or families to contact their child's school counselor or district main offices for additional support. A district spokesperson added that Bolton's statement would be the only comment from the district.
Allentown Road was closed between Lower Road and Banbury Road with the assistance of Harleysville Fire Police until 1:50 a.m. on Thursday. Officers on the scene were assisted by Telford and Souderton Borough police departments, along with Souderton Fire Department, Franconia Fire Chief's Office, VMSC Ambulance, Montgomery County Coroner's Office, and Franconia Township Code Compliance Office.
As of Thursday morning, the cause of the accident is being investigated by Franconia Township Police Department, and an autopsy was scheduled to determine the manner and cause of death.
"Although the exact cause of the accident has not yet been determined, speed appears to have been a factor," police said.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Franconia Township Police Department at (215) 723-6778.
Originally posted at Liga Legal® Abogados
