What to Know
- State and local police are still investigating the crash that claimed the lives of Talia Newfield, 16, and Adrienne Garrido, 17
- Officials say grief counselors will be on hand to help students and staff through the week
- The teens were best friends and student-athletes, according to family and school officials
A Massachusetts high school community is grieving following the tragic deaths of two students who were hit by at least one car over the weekend.
At Needham High School, where 17-year-old Adrienne Garrido and 16-year-old Talia Newfield were juniors, classmates were experiencing a "full range of emotions and feelings," Needham superintendent Dan Gutekanst said Monday morning.
"It's a tough scene there," he said.
"We miss you, Talia," her father, Craig Newfield, said. "We can't make any sense out of it."
Gutekanst also said he has spoken with the girls' families.
"They are, needless to say, devastated and really at a loss for words right now," he said.
Newfield and Garrido were hit by at least one car while walking on Webster Street on Saturday evening; Newfield died at the hospital shortly after the crash, while Garrido died at a Boston hospital Sunday evening.
Authorities confirm two cars — a gray Nissan Sentra and a red Cadillac — were involved in the incident. Both drivers were questioned by police, who are continuing to investigate. No charges have been filed and neither driver's identity has been released.
"They're looking at more than one driver. That's all I have to say about that. It's a complicated set of circumstances that they have to translate," Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey said.
Grief counselors, who attended to the needs of students and staff over the weekend, were also available on Monday. A vigil was also held over the weekend.
"It’s one of the things you read about but when it happens to someone you really know, it’s really hard to process," said friend Ben Aliber.
Newfield's parents were seen at the growing memorial for their daughter and her best friend at the scene of the crash Monday morning, where they thanked the community for their support in this awful time.
"We don't understand what happened," Newfield told NBC10 Boston. "We don't understand how two beautiful young women can get taken from us in the space of about 20 feet on a clear evening on a flat, straight street."
Newfield added that investigators told him neither driver was drunk, and that multiple witnesses have come forward.
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Gutekanst said the teens, who were both three-sport student-athletes at the high school, were honored by the school's track team during a meet on Sunday, adding that both teens were "really invested in the community."
The investigation into the deadly crash is ongoing.
