JUNE 9, 2015
FRAMINGHAM, MASS. (WHDH)
A 21-year-old man died trying to free his sister and
girlfriend after their car plunged into a small pond.
According to the Boston Globe, the man and his 25-year-old sister died.
His 21-year-old girlfriend survived because she was able to breathe through an air pocket in the back seat and held on until rescuers arrived three hours after the crash.
The woman who survived said all three were alive after the crash but when her boyfriend went under water to open a door he never came back up.
According to fire officials, the side airbags blocked the handle.
The victims' cousin said the three were on their way home from a party in Hudson when the car when off the road and flipped.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation but it appeared the car failed to negotiate a turn onto Gates Street as it came off Route 9 East. Police said drugs and alcohol do not appear to be a factor. Most likely a high speed crash.
According to the Boston Globe, the man and his 25-year-old sister died.
His 21-year-old girlfriend survived because she was able to breathe through an air pocket in the back seat and held on until rescuers arrived three hours after the crash.
The woman who survived said all three were alive after the crash but when her boyfriend went under water to open a door he never came back up.
According to fire officials, the side airbags blocked the handle.
The victims' cousin said the three were on their way home from a party in Hudson when the car when off the road and flipped.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation but it appeared the car failed to negotiate a turn onto Gates Street as it came off Route 9 East. Police said drugs and alcohol do not appear to be a factor. Most likely a high speed crash.
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FRAMINGHAM, MASS.
A dramatic, heartbreaking scene played out
early Sunday as a 21-year-old man died frantically trying to free his
girlfriend and sister after their car plunged into a small pond, the survivor
of the crash told authorities.
The man, Brian Archila, and his 25-year-old sister, Jennifer
Archila, both of Framingham, died in the overturned vehicle, officials said
Monday. A second passenger, identified as Brian’s girlfriend, 21-year-old
Lilibeth Vasquez, also of Framingham, though injured in the accident, survived
because she was able to breathe through an air pocket in the back seat and hold
on until rescuers arrived about three hours after the crash.
Vasquez, whose injuries were not considered life
threatening, told firefighters that all three initially were alive. Then Brian
ducked under the water inside the vehicle in an attempt to get them out.
“[Vasquez] told us he went to open the door and never came
back,” said Captain Mark Leporati, who was the commanding officer for the Framingham
Fire Department at the rescue scene.
Near the pond Monday afternoon, Apolonia Archila clutched a
portrait of Jesus and wept near where two of her grandchildren perished after
fighting to stay alive. There were still broken bushes and tire marks visible
in the road, near a golf course.
“They were good kids,” she said through a translator. “I
will always remember them as the amazing grandchildren they were.
. . . They were very happy.”
Leporati said that when first responders got to the pond to
remove the car around 7 a.m. Sunday, they found only Vasquez alive.
“There was no report of anyone being in the car, so we had
no apparatus coming,” he said. “But as we approached, we could hear someone
calling for help, and we knew it wasn’t only a submerged vehicle.”
Angel Chilin, a cousin of the Archila siblings, who was also
at the pond Monday, said Vasquez was released from the hospital with “a
scratch.”
Chilin said the survivor told the family the trio was on
their way home from a party in Hudson when the car went off the road and
flipped into the pond around 4 a.m. She recounted Brian Archila’s attempt to
get them out.
“Brian died trying to break through the window and save
them,” Chilin said.
Flowers filled a makeshift memorial Monday at the scene of
an accident in which a car went into a Framingham pond, killing two siblings
inside.
Leporati, the fire captain, said that once authorities had
hoisted the two-door Honda Accord out of the pond, he noticed that the side air
bags were deployed and blocking the lock handle.
“They did everything together,” Chilin said, referring to
the siblings. “I guess it’s fitting they died together.”
Framingham Police Lieutenant Stephen Cronin said the bodies
of Brian and Jennifer Archila were found in the front seat. Police have not
said what caused the crash; the investigation is continuing.
The accident site is adjacent to the Framingham Country
Club, near the intersection of Country Club Lane and Gates Road.
A golfer alerted authorities to the submerged car around 7
a.m., and Leporati said firefighters and first responders arrived within
minutes. They worked hard to rescue the survivor, and dislodged Vasquez about
an hour after hearing her calling for help.
He praised the work of the team of 15 and specifically
mentioned Firefighter Trevor O’Leary, who held Vasquez’s hand for more than 40
minutes to comfort her during the rescue.
Other family members at the scene described Brian and
Jennifer Archila as inseparable and “full of life.”
Their aunt, Carmen Archila, who was also in tears, said they
would always be a part of her life.
“I’ll always remember their happiness,” Carmen Archila said.
Throughout the day, family members and friends
intermittently came together at the crash site to mourn, inspect the pond, and
leave encouraging messages on a memorial poster.
At times, the heartbreak was countered as someone would
remember a funny story or anecdote. However, as they walked to the edge of the
water, the weight of the tragedy loomed large.
“These were their mother’s only two children,” Chilin said.
“And they had a ton of friends.”
Jennifer Archila worked for the Newton-based travel website
company TripAdvisor, her family said.
Brian, according to his confirmed Facebook page, was a
laborer at Natick Soldier Systems Center and at Market Basket.
On the memorial, friends left encouraging words.
“You were always the brightest part of my day,” a person
wrote about Jennifer.
“There was no one I enjoyed talking to more. I have never
met anyone with the bright light that you have.”
And of them both: “You will always be loved and remembered.”
Source: https://www.bostonglobe.com