More details are emerging from the crash that killed Mary Jessica Faith Hartling, 15, near Prince Rupert.
"The Hartling family ... advised they 'are thankful for all the support that is pouring in from friends, family and the community,'" said Prince Rupert RCMP spokeswoman Const. Laura Lechky. "That is one of the greatest things of a small community. In the time of tragedy everyone pulls together and supports one another."
The incident occurred on Highway 16 at approximately 7:15 a.m. on Saturday at Rainbow Summit. There was only one vehicle involved, but it was occupied by four youths including Hartling, a Port Edward resident.
"The Prince Rupert RCMP is now able to confirm the two males and two females travelled to Terrace for an early morning breakfast then returned back to Prince Rupert," said Lechky. "The 1993 two-door Mazda car left the road at Rainbow Summit along a straight stretch on Highway 16. The vehicle crashed approximately 40 feet down an embankment until its resting place."
Lechky described how Hartling and the other female were sitting in the backseat, but both were ejected during the crash. Hartling "was thrown approximately 30 feet from the vehicle and sustained critical injuries" that required her being airlifted from the crash scene to Prince Rupert Regional Hospital where she soon succumbed.
"The three other teen occupants sustained minor injuries and are from Prince Rupert," Lechky said. "The driver was a 17-year-old male, a second 17-year-old male was seated in the front passenger seat and a second 15-year-old female was sitting in the backseat, behind the driver."
Alcohol and drugs are not considered to be a factor at this time.
An RCMP crash reconstruction analyst combed the scene for physical evidence and seized the vehicle, as is common in such instances, for a full mechanical inspection. That inspection is scheduled for completion on Monday.
