METHUEN — Three siblings en route to school yesterday were involved in a harrowing crash that put the elder sister in a Boston hospital and left her twin brothers with minor injuries.
According to police, Methuen High School senior Rebecca Andronaco, 17, of 30 Meetinghouse Road, lost control of her 2003 Ford Mustang in a 7:03 a.m. crash at the intersection of Charles Street and Broadway. Police would not identify her 15-year-old twin brothers.
Andronaco was driving east on Hampshire Street when she stopped at the red traffic signal at the intersection of Broadway (Route 28) by the clock tower. When it changed to green, police said Andronaco "took off at a high rate of speed" crossing Broadway and proceeding onto Charles Street.
The Mustang first struck a parked 2003 Lincoln Aviator and then spun out, hitting a cement light post stanchion. The car continued to spin and finally came to rest when it hit a building at 270 Lawrence St., police said.
Andronaco was taken by helicopter to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where she was listed in fair condition in the pediatric intensive care unit last night. Her twin brothers were treated for minor injuries at Lawrence General Hospital and released yesterday, police said.
Andronaco was not wearing a seat belt, although her brothers "may have been," police Capt. Randy Haggar said.
The accident remains under investigation. Police said speed was definitely a factor, however. The roads were still wet and slippery yesterday morning from an overnight rain shower, Officer Larry May, an accident reconstruction expert, said.
