Spencer-Van Etten HS student dies after his car strikes house; school community mourns

Jeff Murray, Elmira Star-Gazette
·2 min read
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A teenager from Spencer died from his injuries after the vehicle he was driving crashed into a house earlier this week.

The crash took place shortly before 8 a.m. Monday when the four-door sedan was traveling south on state Route 34 (Ithaca Road) north of the village of Spencer. The car went off the road and crashed into a residence at 420 Ithaca Road, according to the Tioga County Sheriff's Office.

The driver, and lone occupant of the vehicle, 16-year-old Traviz Allen, was transported with serious injuries to Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre, the sheriff's office said.

Allen died Thursday morning from his injuries. None of the occupants in the home was seriously injured, the sheriff's office reported.

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Allen was a senior at Spencer-Van Etten High School. Superintendent Barbara Case posted a message to the community about the tragedy on the school district's website Thursday.

"The loss is sure to raise many emotions, concerns and questions for our entire staff, especially our students," Case wrote. "Spencer-Van Etten Central School District has a crisis intervention team made up of trained professionals trained to help with the needs of students, parents and employees during difficult times such as this.

"We will have counselors available for any student or employee who may need help or support processing this loss," she wrote.

Case also said the school district has resources available for parents to help their children cope with Allen's death.

Supporters also created a gofundme page with a $5,000 goal to help the family pay for funeral expenses.

The investigation into the cause of the crash is continuing, and investigators say there didn't appear to be any environmental factors such as hazardous weather conditions or sharp curves that contributed.

The Tioga County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by the Spencer Fire Department, Spencer EMS, Candor EMS, Guthrie EMS, New York State Department of Transportation and the Tioga County Crash Investigation Unit.

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This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Spencer-Van Etten student crashes car into house, dies from injuries