Pocono News Section

Forest City Mourns Teenage Crash Victim

Forest City Mourns Teenage Crash Victim - Monday, March 22, 2010 at 04:05AM EST

Reported by: Eric Deabill
Monday March 22 2010
5.0000/ 5 rating

FOREST CITY, SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY - A Susquehanna County school district is mourning the loss of a teenage student.

Tisha Harhut of Forest City was killed in an accident early Sunday morning. Her friend, Jackie McBride, was also injured.

The deadly accident happened on Route 247 in Browndale, Wayne County, just before 8:00 AM Sunday morning. A memorial of flowers, cards and teddy bears now marks the spot where Harhut lost her life.

"She was nice, very heartfelt," friend Brianna Card said. "She wasn't mean to anybody. She tried to be friends with everybody."

State Police say Harhut was a passenger in the vehicle. The crash was so violent the vehicle slammed sideways into a tree. You can still see ruts from the crash in the grass.

"She was doing cosmotology and she was cutting hair and everything and she was doing great with that," Card said.

The posted speed limit on the section of Route 247 where the crash happened is 25-miles-an-hour. Neighbors don't know if speed played a role, but they say cars fly down the road at all hours of the day.

Pat Pitus runs a daycare center just a few doors down from where the accident happened.

"It's like a raceway out there. You know?" Pitus said. "The cars just speed up and down the hill here and it doesn't matter what time of day it is."

Tisha Harhut and her friend, Jackie McBride, were both juniors at Forest City High School in Susquehanna County. Grief counselors were on hand Monday to help both students and staff.

Friends say both girls also worked together at Frank's Place, a restaurant in Simpson, Lackawanna County. Co-workers there are also remembering Harhut.

"Outgoing," co-owner Matt Colachino said. "She was a caring person, she joked around with everyone."

"She was so young and she had her whole life ahead of her and to know that she's gone, is like, wow," Card said.

The second teenager in the car, Jackie McBride, was taken to Scranton CMC for treatment. School officials say she is "up and around" and is recovering well.