A Michigan teen who was driving her family's Ford Explorer when it collided with a car on Interstate 95 on Monday and overturned, killing her mother and a sister, is an elite field hockey player who was heading to Virginia Beach for a top national tournament.
The teen, identified as Sydney Supica by an Ann Arbor, Mich., news service, was 15 years and 10 months old and had a valid learner's permit to drive, said Sgt. Thomas Molnar, a state police spokesman. The teen's mother, Theresa Supica, was sitting in the front passenger seat at the time of the crash.
In Virginia, teenagers can obtain a learner's permit at age 15 years and 6 months, which allows them to operate a vehicle when a licensed driver who is at least 21 years old is seated beside them, according to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.
The crash killed Theresa Supica, 45, and her 12-year-old daughter, Samantha, who was sitting in a rear passenger seat, police said. Another daughter, identified as 14-year-old Sloane Supica by Ann Arbor.com, was sitting behind the driver.
Virginia State Police are continuing to investigate the crash and are consulting with the Henrico County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office to determine whether charges should be filed, Molnar said.
According to police, the 11:14 a.m. wreck occurred when the driver of a Toyota Corolla, Se H. Yoo, 20, of Centreville, was traveling in the right lane of southbound I-95 about a mile south of the Atlee-Elmont interchange. Yoo changed lanes to avoid another vehicle, police said, and lost control. Yoo's car then collided with the Supica family's Explorer in the left lane, causing the Explorer to veer out of control and overturn several times before coming to rest on its roof.
Theresa and Samantha Supica died at the scene. On Tuesday, Sloane and Sydney remained hospitalized at VCU Medical Center. All four family members were wearing their safety belts, Molnar said.
The family, from Ann Arbor, Mich., was heading to Virginia Beach so Sydney could compete in USA Field Hockey's 2010 National Futures Championships. The tournament includes 650 top field hockey athletes nationwide on 38 teams.
Simon Hoskins, a USA Field Hockey spokesman, said the athletes play six games each while being watched by national "selectors." The best are placed on national representative teams and are also recruited by more than 100 college coaches, Hoskins said.
"USA Field Hockey is deeply saddened to learn of this tragic accident," Hoskins said in an e-mail. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the Supica family."
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Mark Bowes is a staff writer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
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