A 17-year-old Staten Island high school senior was fighting for her life last night after she was mowed down in a horrific chain-reaction car crash in front of stunned fellow students, authorities said.
The victim, identified by sources as Janine Brawer, and a female classmate were crossing Luten Avenue outside of Tottenville HS at 11:30 a.m. after early dismissal when tragedy struck.
Witnesses said the driver of a Nissan Maxima stopped to let the girls pass but a second car, a Saturn, smashed into the Nissan from behind. The impact sent the first car hurtling into Brawer, pinning her underneath.
Rescuers rushed her to Staten Island University Hospital, where she was undergoing surgery.
“They say she’s in grave condition,” said a neighbor whose son attended elementary school with Brawer.
“She’s a very lively person and was looking at a college in California. She was a paper girl, she had a route, and [is] a very nice person,” the neighbor added.
Brawer’s parents, who work for the public school system and live in the Eltingville section, as well as other relatives were holding vigil at the hospital late yesterday.
The second student — whose mother was supposed to drive both of the girls home — was not injured, according to the school’s principal, John Tuminaro.
Both drivers are believed to be students at the school. No charges were filed immediately.
The accident raised questions about the safety of students leaving the school at that intersection.
There are two crosswalks outside the school, but the nearest is about 15 feet from where the accident took place.
There are also no stop signs at the crosswalks, but cars routinely stop to let pedestrians pass, according to PTA president Gloria Serrao.
At the school’s main dismissal, when many of its 4,000 kids head for the 35 buses that pick them up, several school officials and school safety officers are posted outside the building to ensure safety, Tuminaro said.
But at the earlier dismissal, there were so few students due to leave that safety officers would have been posted under the school’s portico, behind a fence, not on the street, he said.