Underage driver to face charges in deadly Pennsylvania crash: authorities

By Elizabeth Daley PITTSBURGH Pa. (Reuters) - A 15-year-old underage driver will face criminal charges after crashing her father's sports utility vehicle and killing three of her five teen-aged passengers in northeastern Pennsylvania over the weekend, authorities said on Wednesday. The girl was driving in Lake Ariel when she flipped the Chevrolet Suburban more than once while trying to navigate a curve, Wayne County District Attorney Janine Edwards said in a statement. Three 15-year-old boys from Bucks County, north of Philadelphia, were killed, while the driver, another 15-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl suffered minor injuries, the statement said. The crash is still under investigation, but the driver will face charges, Edwards said. However, details will be kept private because she is a juvenile. "When criminal charges are filed they will be done so pursuant to the Pennsylvania Juvenile Act and under said law, criminal juvenile matters are not disclosed to the public," her statement said. "This is a parent's worst nightmare and a terrible tragedy that the Pennsylvania State Police will investigate to the fullest," she added. The girl lives in Westchester County, New York, just north of New York City, and was staying at her family's home in the area's Pocono Mountains. In order to obtain a learner's driving permit in Pennsylvania and in New York, applicants must be at least 16 years old. In order to drive, they must be accompanied by a licensed driver who is at least 21 years old. (Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst; Editing by Sandra Maler)