Hundreds gathered Wednesday evening at Southington High School to remember two teenage girls who died when their car flipped over on Interstate 84.
Olivia Fusco, 14, and driver Annie Olender, 16, were killed Tuesday.
Police said the car Olender was driving rolled over on I-84 east in Southington, then fell down an embankment and hit a tree Tuesday afternoon. Both teens were pronounced dead at the scene.
Officials with the state Department of Motor Vehicles said Olender had a learner's permit but not a driver's license, meaning only her parents or adults teaching her to drive should have been in the car.
Wednesday's vigil, however, was not about placing blame.
Olender was an avid softball player, so community members gathered at the high school softball field in her honor.
"She’s the happiest one out there. She loved the game more than most people and she’s always there for anyone," said Amanda Delorme, a rising junior at Southington High School.
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Fusco, a couple years younger, was looking forward to her freshman year at Southington High School. Friends said she inspired them to appreciate the little things.
"Just keep spreading the idea that you have to live life to the fullest. You can’t be sad all the time," said rising sophomore Taylor Harton.
But there was a message to teens about being responsible on the roads.
"There’s rules for a reason. Just, it will save your life if you just make that one right decision," said Harton.
Grief counseling is available at the high school and Southington Municipal Center from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday and Friday.
