ST. CROIX — A young woman lost her life this morning while her friend, who was sitting in the passenger side of the vehicle that they were traveling in — an old, red Suzuki Vitara — was said to be in critical condition, The Virgin Islands Consortium has learned.
The victims had left a dance event early Monday, when the vehicle slammed into a pole near Plaza Extra East while traveling east to west. The VI Fire Service received notification of the incident at about 4:16 a.m. this morning.
The driver, who was in either her late teens or early 20s, died on the spot. The surviving victim is said to be 19-years-old and in critical condition at the Juan F. Luis Hospital. The surviving victim was also involved in the accident that took place at Plaza Extra West in December, where four people were rescued from a burning car — also a small SUV — by National Guard soldiers.
The driver appeared to have lost control of the vehicle, which flipped multiple times and slammed into a pole in the Plaza Extra East parking lot, landing on the driver’s side of the vehicle. The Queen Mary Highway (Centerline Road) in the area is currently being prepared for paving, and there are many uneven spots.
By the time a Consortium reporter made it to the scene, emergency response personnel were getting ready to place the totaled vehicle on a V.I.P.D. wrecker. There were also St. Croix Rescue personnel on the scene, as well as V.I.P.D. officers and VI Fire Service personnel.
A call placed to V.I.P.D. Public Information Officer Glen Dratte was not immediately returned.
The incident is the first vehicular death on St. Croix for 2017.
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