Teenage girls to be charged with street racing in death of Alyssa Davis

Two youths will be charged with street racing in the death of Alyssa Davis, the 17-year old who was killed in a car crash just before Christmas, CBC News has learned.

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The information comes from sources and has been confirmed by the Davis family.

Two 17-year-old girls are expected to appear at provincial court in St. John's Wednesday to be officially charged.

The charges indicate the girls were drivers of vehicles engaged in a street race when one of those vehicles crashed, killing Davis.

The crash happened on the night of Dec. 23, 2015 on the Conception Bay South bypass, and was initially reported as a single-vehicle crash.

Davis was killed, while two passengers in the back seat sustained minor injuries.

The driver, another 17-year-old girl, was taken to hospital with critical injuries.

Rare charge

CBC News has learned the driver of the vehicle Davis was in is being charged with street racing causing death, and dangerous driving causing death.

The driver of the other vehicle in the street race is being charged with street racing and with dangerous driving.

The picture being painted by these charges is of two groups of teenagers street racing on a major highway, with at least one car full of passengers, and the race leading to a crash in a which one teen was killed and another critically injured.

Davis was a student at Queen Elizabeth High School in Conception Bay South, and a member of the C.B.S Bluefins swim team.

Street racing has been the cause of at least one other death in this province.

In 2009, 71-year old Henrietta Head was forced off the road by a pair of street racers on a two-lane highway near Boyd's Cove.

Ryan Watkins and Richard Glibbery were both charged with criminal negligence causing death, dangerous driving and failure to remain at the scene of an accident.

However, it appears that this is the first time the charge of street racing causing death will be laid in this province.