Vernon Teen Killed Sunday In Buckland Hills Crash

MANCHESTER, CT — A Vernon teen was killed in single-car crash Sunday night in the Buckland Hills area of Manchester.

The crash took place at 8:31 p.m. on Buckland Hills Drive near the water tower, police and fire officials said.

When emergency crews arrived at the scene, they found the driver trapped in the vehicle with serious injuries, fire officials said.

The driver, identified by police as 19-year-old Makayla Theriaque, of Vernon, was extricated from the vehicle in 27 minutes and then transported to a local trauma center with life-threatening injuries, fire officials said. She was pronounced dead at the hospital, police said.

According to the Vernon public school system, Theriaque was an honor student who graduated from Rockville High School in 2022.

A police investigation determined that the vehicle was traveling westbound on Buckland Hills Drive. The vehicle left the road and collided with a tree, according to police.

The vehicle was "significantly damaged," fire officials said.

Buckland Hills Drive was closed for an extended period of time between the Target entrance and No. 345 while the incident was being investigated, police said. As of Monday, police were still investigating the cause and are asking that anyone with information on the crash to contact them at 860-533-8620 or 860-645-3325.