Teen killed in Leominster crash remembered as 'vibrant loving soul'

David Dore, Telegram & Gazette
·2 min read
3
Krystal Mello.
Krystal Mello.

AYER — The community is showing its support for a 16-year-old girl described as “funny, kind, athletic and intelligent” who died in a car crash on Interstate 190 in Leominster last week.

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to pay for funeral expenses for the teenager, Krystal Mello of Ayer, a junior at Ayer Shirley Regional High School.

Obituary: Krystal Ann Mello

The campaign surpassed its $10,000 goal in about a day, raising more than $13,000 as of Monday morning.

According to authorities, Mello was a passenger Thursday night with three other 16 and 18 year olds in a 2001 Ford Mustang traveling north on Interstate 190 when the driver lost control near Exit 19 (Route 2/Mechanic Street). The car swerved out of the left lane, flipped and landed on its roof on an embankment.

More: 16-year-old killed, three teens injured in serious crash on I-190 in Leominster

Mello and two other teens were trapped in or under the car, while one person was able to free themselves.

Ayer Shirley Regional High School Athletic Director Steve Kendall wrote on the GoFundMe page that he and his wife Dayna, a restorative justice interventionist at the school, “feel fortunate to have known Krystal. She was a funny, kind, athletic, and intelligent young woman. She always had a smile and a ‘Hey, Mr. Kendall’ (or usually, ‘Hey, Steve’). We will miss her.”

Ashley Dennis of Everett, who organized the GoFundMe campaign, said Mello was a “beautiful 16-year-old in 11th grade with such a vibrant loving soul with the best personality. Her death is a tragedy and so unexpected.”

An 18-year-old male from Shirley, who state police believe was the driver of the Mustang, was transported to Leominster Hospital. A 16-year-old girl from Shirley and a 16-year-old boy from Harvard were brought to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester.

The crash is still under investigation.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Krystal Mello of Ayer Shirley Regional High School was victim in crash