Police: 2 Teens Killed In Tractor-Trailer Crash In Warwick
Updated Wednesday, July 15 8:17 a.m.
WARWICK, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Two teenagers are dead after their driver's education car was involved in a devastating crash with a tractor-trailer Tuesday morning, police said.
The accident took place around 10:20 a.m. on County Road 1 and Blooms Corners Road in the Orange County town of Warwick.
"It was awful," said witness Karen Brick. "What can you say about something like that? It was horrible."
Police: 2 Teens Killed In Tractor-Trailer Crash In Warwick
The driving instructor was in the front passenger seat. One of the students was at the wheel, while three others were in the back seat.
They were all attending a summer driver's education class sponsored by Goshen High School.
As CBS2's Lou Young reported, the crash took the lives of two of the student drivers – both 16 years old. They were identified as Goshen High School students Antonio Baglivo and Paul VanDoran, according to the school.
"Both of these kids, just outstanding young men with everything to live for and everything going forward," Goshen schools Superintendent Daniel Connor told WCBS 880's Sean Adams.
Baglivo is a well-known football player – large and outwardly mature beyond his years.
"He was very, like, tough because he was very big, and he was really sweet for a big guy," said Goshen High School student Jaqueline Vital.
Two others students in the car -- identified by the school as students Lucas O'Connor and Claudia Krebs, also both 16 -- and a 60-year-old instructor were all seriously injured, police said. Krebs was behind the wheel at the time.
"They were working on the one boy for a long, long time. They were giving him CPR; really, really working on him, and then I just – I had to walk away," Brick said. "I couldn't watch after that."
The driver of the truck was not seriously hurt.
The intersection is controlled not by a regular traffic signal, but by a blinking light that flashes red for traffic in one direction and yellow for the other on each road, Young reported.
The semi-trailer truck had the yellow blinker when it hit the driver's education vehicle with devastating impact, a white Chevrolet sedan, Young reported.
"It was a very, very strong impact. It pushed the sedan about 25 yards down an adjacent street where it came to rest," said Warwick police Lt. Thomas Maslanka.
The speed limit at the intersection is 45 mph, and witnesses said the result was disaster.
"It was such an impact. There was such a horrible thud," Brick said.
"It was demolished," added witness Jordan Mazza. "The car was demolished."
Officials and locals said the intersection has been a problem spot.
"It's a dangerous intersection," said Warwick Town Supervisor Michael Sweeton. "We have requested numerous times to have a blinking light turned into a fully functional traffic signal. We believe that that's a safer way to handle this intersection. So we're hoping that if anything good can be had out of this tragedy, we can get that intersection made safer."
Locals agreed that a change was needed.
"The blinking light, I don't think has done – doesn't seem to have done anything," said Robert Steeger of Warwick. "We need a red light and probably a no turn on red.
"They need traffic lights both sides, or they need a four way stop – something to get this traffic slowed down," said Shayne Hayson of Warwick.
The driver's ed car is owned by a driving school based in Middletown, New York.
Grief counselors will be available at Goshen High School following the accident, according to a notice from the school.
As of late Tuesday afternoon, the crash remained under investigation and no one had been ticketed or charged.
(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
