Car accident claims two young lives

Senara Brack and Tamara Gaetan, both 20 years old, died when their car went over a snowbank on East 60th Street between 13th and 14th Avenues South and slammed into a large tree. Senara Brack had bought the 2000 Grand Prix less than two months ago. Authorities are saying speed was a factor. A neighbor said the car appeared to have swerved to avoid another car before it ran over the snowbank and hit the tree.

People in the neighborhood have tried for years to get a stop sign at 60th Street and 14th Avenue. The street, which runs parallel to Highway 62, has a notorious reputation for speeding cars using it as a shortcut. Tarah Rozas, who lives nearby, recalled a crash two years ago in which two 17-year-old boys driving on the same road and in the same direction left the road and slammed into a telephone pole but did not die.

The tragedy was especially hard for Tamara’s mother who had just returned from visiting relatives in Haiti. The earthquake hit while she was here and she lost five family members, including a brother, cousin and uncle.