Police identified two of the three victims who died early Sunday morning when their car crashed into a parked tractor trailer in Northeast Philadelphia.
Amonie Nicole Barton, 25, of Yeadon, Delaware County, and Giavanna Scavo, 22, of Northeast Philadelphia, died when Barton lost control of the car, a rented 2015 Chevrolet Camaro, and crashed into a tractor trailer on the 8000 block of Torresdale Avenue at 2:45 a.m., said Capt. John Wilczynski, commanding officer of the Accident Investigation Unit.
Police are waiting to confirm the identity of the third passenger before releasing her name.
Investigators examine a crash that left three people dead when a Chevrolet Camaro collided with this parked tractor trailer, engulfing both vehicles in flames. (Courtesy / Northeast Times)
Both vehicles burst into flames upon impact. Another tractor trailer also became engulfed when fuel from the first truck trickled down the road onto a highway overpass. The victims died immediately, Wilczynski said.
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Barton was driving at least double the posted 35-mph speed limit, Wilczynski said. The truck was legally parked.
"Speed was a major factor in this crash," Wilczynski said. "Unfortunately, now we have three young lives that are (lost). And their families are not too happy right now."
Wilczynski said police will examine whether the victims were distracted, possibly by social media, saying the investigation is still in its early stages. Torresdale Avenue does not have a history of bad crashes, he said.
Police did not know where the women were driving or where they were coming from.