Plant City wreck kills 2 teens, injures 2 others

Ramsey Cameron, walks to his car after talking to reporters in front of where a fence was broken after his best friend Nick Marcotrigiano, 17, was killed in a wreck early Monday morning.  [Kathleen Flynn, Times]

Two teen drivers were killed and their passengers seriously injured in a two-car crash on State Road 60 early Monday, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

FHP spokesman Steve Gaskins said this afternoon that there is no indication the cars, which were traveling side-by-side, were racing, but officials do think speed was a factor in the crash. He also said investigators would be awaiting toxicology results.

Friends gathered this afternoon at the crash site, leaving plants and flowers, and picking up debris that appeared to be from the accident. All the students were from Bloomingdale High School.

Nicholas Marcotrigiano, 17, was driving a 1996 Ford Ranger east on SR 60 near Mud Lake Road about 12:10 a.m., traveling next to a 1999 Jeep Cherokee driven by 15-year-old Haley Weatherly, when the two vehicles made contact, according to an FHP news release.

The impact sent the pickup off the road and into a tree. Marcotrigiano, of Plant City, died at the scene. His passenger, Brandon Simonds, 17, of Valrico, was taken to Tampa General Hospital in critical condition.

The Jeep crossed the median, drove through a fence and overturned before striking a tree. The crash tore off the SUV's roof, troopers said. Weatherly, who was thrown from the vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene. Her passenger, Amelia Lee Gold, 16, of Valrico, was taken to Tampa General Hospital in serious condition.

None of the teens were wearing safety belts, the release shows.

At 15, Weatherly had a learner's permit. Under state rules, she should have had a licensed driver 21 or older in the passenger's seat, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Friends said she was in ninth grade at Bloomindgale.

Marcotrigiano, the other teen who died, was going into his senior year. He had a twin brother, and loved to play football, friends said. He is the son of a captain in the Tampa Police Department, officials said. A friend, Danielle Bock, said Marcotrigiano text messaged her just a short while before the crash, asking her what she was doing. She said she went to bed without responding.

The accident remains under investigation.

Casey Cora and Rebecca Catalanello, Times staff writers

[Rick Cecil removes debris from where two teen drivers were killed and their passengers seriously injured in a two-car crash on State Road 60. Kathleen Flynn, Times]