MONROE COUNTY, Pa. -- Two people are dead, including a high school student, after two separate crashes Friday night in Monroe County.
One of the deadly crashes happened near Tannersville. The other was outside East Stroudsburg.
The Monroe County coroner says Anthony Spann, 21, of Stroudsburg, was killed in a single car crash while traveling along Wooddale Road in Middle Smithfield Township around 11 p.m.
A few hours before that, the coroner said a female student from the Pocono Mountain East School District died at the hospital following a crash along Route 715.
Dr. Elizabeth Robison, Superintendent of the Pocono Mountain School District, posted a message of sympathy Saturday:
"On Friday evening, we lost a 16-year-old student from our Pocono Mountain East High School as a result of a car accident. I speak for our entire district and our school board as I express my deepest and most sincere sympathy to the family on their tragic loss. We pray for this child, the members of her family, her classmates and our entire community as everyone tries to deal with this very tragic loss. We offer our ongoing support to the family. We ask that the members of our school community respect the privacy of this family, as the authorities have not yet released the name of the victim. Whenever there is the death of a child within our community, our students and staff may have trouble grieving, understanding and coping. We will have crisis counselors available in our schools for as long as needed to help our students, faculty and staff. Our campuses will be closed to media on Monday, January 28, 2019, as we try to help our school community through this terrible tragedy."
"We saw it from our bedroom window. We saw the red lights from the flairs the fire department was putting out, and then we looked around and saw everything down at the restaurant," said James Rowe of Jackson Township.
Rowe says cars travel too fast along that stretch of road when it's icy.
"People go fast, and they're not expecting it. People are supposed to be doing 40, but they go way faster than that," Rowe said.
Those that live in the area of the Wooddale crash say that stretch of road can get very icy, and that can be dangerous for drivers.
"I have seen several accidents there, and during the winter, they really need to clean that curb. It's a lot of ice there. That's where the drainage is at, and people come speeding around that corner all the time," said Al Penson of Middle Smithfield Township.
Penson has lived in this part of Monroe County for years. This crash happened in his backyard.
"It touched my heart. I'm sorry, but these roads are dangerous, and these kids need to know they have to slow down. It is not a racetrack, and in a spilt second, you can be gone," Penson said.
Penson plans to place a cross at the site to honor Anthony Spann.
The coroner did not release the name of the female victim.
Autopsies for both crash victims have been scheduled for next week.