16-year-old killed, 3 other teens injured in crash on highway in Leominster

Massachusetts State Police are investigating a single-car crash on Route 190 North in Leominster that killed a 16-year-old girl on Thursday night.

Troopers responded to the scene at 7:10 p.m., the agency said in a release.

“Preliminary investigation indicates that the girl, an Ayer resident, was a passenger in the 2001 Ford Mustang that went off the highway, down an embankment, and into the wood line,” State Police said.

The other three occupants were rescued from in or under the vehicle by Leomister firefighters and suffered serious injuries as a result of the accident, officials said.

An 18-year-old male from Shirley, who is believed to have been the driver, was transported to Leominster Hospital, while the other two – a 16-year-old girl from Shirley and an 18-year-old male from Bolton – were taken to UMass Hospital-Lakeside.

Following a preliminary investigation, police believe the Mustang was moving northbound in the right lane and as the driver approached other vehicles ahead of the car in the right lane, the driver shifted into the left lane and lost control, causing the vehicle to spin as it went off the right side of the road, the release said.

“The cause of the crash remains under investigation, with excessive speed being examined as a possible factor,” State Police noted. “That investigation is being conducted by the State Police-Leominster Barracks, the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, the State Police Crime Scene Services Section, and the State Police Detective Unit for Worcester County.”

The scene was cleared by police shortly after 9:30 p.m., the agency said.