A student at Harding High School was killed after a vehicle struck her. The driver was traveling too fast and took a sharp turn causing the car to role into an embankment where the teen was hit.
A teenage girl had just finished class at a St. Paul high school Thursday afternoon when she was hit and killed by a speeding SUV.
Authorities say the incident happened around 1 p.m. outside of Harding High School, where 16-year-old Clarisse Grima of St. Paul was attending summer school.
According to St. Paul police, the driver of a SUV was traveling at excessively high speeds on Third Street when he misjudged a turn and lost control of the vehicle.
The SUV went off of the road, hit a fire hydrant and mowed over a sign before hitting both Grima and a 17-year-old boy, Eduardo Vazquez-Torres.
Grima died at the scene. Vazquez-Torres, also from St. Paul, was conscious and walking following the crash. He was taken to Regions Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Police have identified the driver of the SUV as 50-year-old Carlos Viveros-Colorado of St. Paul. Viveros-Colorado, who stopped following the crash, is being held on suspicion of criminal vehicle operation.
A spokesperson for the school district said grief counselors will be available to students and staff at the school on Friday.
Authorities are investigating whether alcohol was a factor in the crash.
Update - Driver: 'Numbness' in Legs a Factor in Deadly St. Paul Crash
Viveros-Colorado, who stopped following the crash, is currently in custody at the Ramsey County Adult Detention Center.
According to the criminal complaint, Viveros-Colorado spoke to police through an interpreter. He told police his foot was stuck on the accelerator at the time of the incident. He said he has a health problem related to numbness in his legs.
He said the numbness usually lasts about 15 minutes, and he has to rub his legs to get them to work. He admitted it was dangerous for him to drive with his condition, but said he was hoping to make it home from work.
Officers at the scene were approached by Viveros-Colorado's sister, who said he is undocumented and in the United States illegally.
He will make his first court appearance on July 9.
Meanwhile Friday, family and friends gathered at the spot where Grime was hit. Jessica Vazquez, the aunt of Grime's boyfriend, said the Grime family could not afford to pay for a funeral and asked for donations to be made to the Clarisse Grime Memorial Fund at Wells Fargo Bank.
