Pregnant NB 18-year-old woman, man die in fiery crash
A North Bergen high school student would have attended senior prom Thursday night, but due to an alleged drunk driver, it didn’t happen.
According to published reports, the 18-year-old girl and a 42-year-old North Bergen man died last Saturday after an allegedly intoxicated driver hit the tractor-trailer they were traveling in, causing a fiery crash on I-95 in Connecticut. Sources told the media that they believe the pair were a couple.
Kelly Stefanny Taborda and James A. Sorto died following the 6:15 a.m. crash. Sorto was driving a tractor-trailer with Taborda as a passenger when an SUV driven by Yadira Torres, 26, of Hartford, allegedly cut them off and sideswiped the trailer, causing the trailer and cab to separate, reports said. Reports said the truck fell on its side, killing Sorto instantly. Taborda, who was reportedly pregnant, was pulled from the burning vehicle but died from the injuries she sustained an hour later at Stamford Hospital.
North Bergen High School Principal Paschal Tennaro said today that school counselors have been available to students to deal with Taborda’s loss. She was a well-liked student at the school, he said. The school’s flag was flown at half-mast.
“We had a memorial to Kelly, about her background and all of the things she had accomplished at the high school,” said Tennaro, who said they also had a moment of silence in her honor.
Tennaro said that Kelly’s aunt came to the high school, where faculty helped her write an obituary for Taborda. The school’s faculty also raised $5,000 to help pay for her burial costs.
“The memorial mass [was on Tuesday]. It was a good cross section of the entire community of North Bergen,” Tennaro said. “Crossing guards, teachers, the chief of police, the mayor of the town, many students packing the church.”
Students were also allowed to attend her burial yesterday.
Yesterday students had a special program on the dangers of driving intoxicated, and a person who had survived a tragic accident spoke of the experience.
“We have teen awareness of the abuse of alcohol and that’s really what took Kelly’s life,” he said. “I think it really kind of made more students more aware of the consequences of alcohol use.”
Free Hep A& B vaccine available in North Hudson
The Health Centers of North Hudson Community Action Corp. (NHCAC) are offering free Hepatitis A and B immunizations for adults 19 years or older who are underinsured or have no health insurance.
NHCAC was recently approved by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services to administer the vaccines. There is a $7 administrative fee per dose of the vaccine, which is available at Union City, West New York, and Hackensack health centers.
The immunizations are Twinrix, which protects against Hepatitis A and B, and Energix-B, which protects against Hepatitis B.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Public Health Coordinator Anny Taveras at (201) 863-5823 or visit www.nhcac.org.