MORROW, Ga. - An accident that killed one teenage girl and injured another is under investigation in Morrow.
The accident happened on a ramp to I-75 ramp Northbound and Jonesboro Road just before noon.
Morrow Fire Chief Roger Swint called the accident "horrific." He said a Mini-Cooper was heading northbound on the I-75 to get off on Jonesboro Road when the driver went off the road and crashed. Georgia State Patrol identified the driver as Cristina Pavon-Baker, 17, of Jonesboro.
The passenger, identified as Makayla Penn, 18, of McDonough, was trapped inside the car and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Baker was able to crawl out and was transported to a local hospital. Authorities have not shared the extent of her injuries.
Witnesses who saw it stopped to help. No other vehicles were involved. The Georgia State Patrol's Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team is conducting a follow-up investigation and said charges are pending.
They were both students at Community Christian School but were not in class because of what students call a "senior skip day." Headmaster Fred Banke said it's really an excused absence where the senior class has the freedom to do things like college visits.
After learning of the crash, the school brought the students together to break the news. They had pastoral counselors on campus Monday and plan to do the same on Tuesday.
The school is housed at the Community Bible Church in Stockbridge and that's where the vigil will be Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
Headmaster Banke sent the following statement:
Our CCS family is heartbroken and saddened by a tragic car accident that occurred this morning involving two of our students. We ask our community to pray with us and with our students as we grieve this devastating loss. We also ask for prayer for the recovery of our injured student and healing for our school family.
