TUSCALOOSA COUNTY, AL — A 19-year-old passenger was killed and two drivers were hurt in a head-on collision in Tuscaloosa County on Thursday evening, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
State troopers said the crash happened around 7 p.m. on Oct. 15 along Alabama Highway 216 near mile marker 24, roughly two miles west of Lake View. A 2008 Chevrolet Express Van and a 2005 Ram 2500 pickup struck each other head-on.
The passenger in the Chevrolet died at the scene. ALEA identified her as Carina V. Perez of Brent.
How the crash happened and where it occurred
Troopers said the collision took place on a stretch of highway near Lake View, a community in Tuscaloosa County. The location given by ALEA places the wreck near mile marker 24 on Alabama Highway 216.
Officials described the impact as a head-on collision between the van and the pickup. No additional details have been released about what led the two vehicles to meet in the roadway.
The agency has not said whether weather, speed, or another factor may have played a role. For now, the crash remains under investigation by ALEA’s Highway Patrol Division.
Victim identified as Carina V. Perez of Brent
ALEA identified the person killed in the crash as 19-year-old Carina V. Perez of Brent. Troopers said she was a passenger in the Chevrolet Express Van.
She was pronounced dead at the scene after the collision. Authorities have not released any additional information about her beyond her name, age, and hometown.
The fatality adds to the seriousness of a crash that also sent both drivers to the hospital. Officials have not said how badly either driver was hurt, only that both were injured.
Both drivers were taken to UAB Hospital in Birmingham
The drivers of both vehicles were injured and transported to the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital in Birmingham for treatment, according to troopers.
ALEA did not say which driver was operating the van or the pickup at the time of the crash, and it did not provide a condition update for either person after the hospital transport.
That leaves the extent of their injuries unclear. Troopers have also not said whether any passengers other than Perez were involved in either vehicle.
ALEA Highway Patrol continues the investigation
Investigators with ALEA’s Highway Patrol Division are still looking into the circumstances of the wreck. The agency said no further details were available at this time.
That means key questions remain unanswered, including why the vehicles collided head-on and whether any citations or charges could follow. Troopers have not announced any enforcement action.
For now, the public information is limited to the time, location, vehicles involved, and the injuries and death reported at the scene and hospital.
Highway safety concerns after another deadly rural Alabama wreck
The crash adds to the toll of serious roadway collisions in Alabama, where rural highway wrecks can turn deadly quickly because of high speeds and limited room to avoid oncoming traffic.
While ALEA has not released a cause, the details provided show a fast-moving impact on a state highway outside a small community. Those are the kinds of crashes that often prompt continued reconstruction by investigators before any final determination is made.
At this stage, troopers are still working to piece together the sequence of events on Alabama Highway 216 and determine what happened in the moments before the collision.
