DEADLY WEEKEND ON HIGHWAYS
Stoneham teen among 3 killed in separate crashes
Three people died in fatal crashes on Bay State highways this weekend, including a Stoneham High School junior who lost her life in a single-vehicle rollover early yesterday morning.
State police said a 16-year-old Stoneham girl was driving a 2000 Ford Explorer and was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash on Pond Street shortly before 12:45 a.m.
The cause of the accident remains under investigation and state police did not identify the girl because she was a juvenile.
A family member declined to identify her when reached by the Herald last night.
Eddy Moreira, an 18-year-old senior at Essex Technical High, said he and the teen worked together as dietary aides at the Bear Hill Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Stoneham. Moreira said she dropped his cousin off only a halfhour before the crash. He suspects she was headed home.
“She was a very, very respectful person — always down to earth and always willing to help you when you needed it,” he said. “It’s very sad. Everyone loved her.”
Asked what she was passionate about, Moreira said, “I know she loved her family.”
Randy McQuilkin, director of food services at Bear Hill, said the girl had worked for him less than a year, but excelled so quickly at every task she took on that she was already helping to train new hires. He said she worked almost every day of her vacation last week.
“She was one of my favorites. She was special,” McQuilkin said. “She picked up the job in no time. She didn’t miss any shifts. She had such an upbeat attitude — always something funny to say. There’s not a soul here who could say one bad thing about her. At 16 years of age, you don’t see many like her with that kind of work ethic. This is a real tough one. It just doesn’t make any sense.”
Junior operators are not allowed to drive in Massachusetts between 12:30 a.m. and 5 a.m. unless accompanied by a parent or legal guardian until they reach age 18.
Earlier in the night, police said, 34-year-old Jason P. Marinaccio of Plaistow, N.H., was killed in a three-car crash on Interstate 93 north in Andover about 11:15 p.m.
Marinaccio, police said, was driving a 2001 Chevrolet 1500 pickup truck that veered off the road and came to rest in the woods. Police said the other two drivers involved were uninjured.
And in Sharon, police said, Sean Kearney, 27, of Quincy, died in a rollover crash on Interstate 95 north at 12:30 a.m. Saturday when he and a passenger were ejected from a 2001 Lexus IS300 while changing lanes. The passenger, a 37-year-old man from Quincy, was hospitalized with serious injuries, police said.