Weekend Wreck Results In Death Of Chapel Hill High School Student

Alicia Land, a 17-year-old senior, died in a car crash Saturday night on a rain-slicked Orange County road.

According to the Highway Patrol, a vehicle driven by Natasha Duggan, in which Land was a front-seat passenger, ran off Damascus Church Road and struck a bridge.

Duggan, of Carrboro, was taken to UNC Hospitals, where she was in fair condition Monday.

A Highway Patrol spokesperson said it did not appear that drugs or alcohol were involved, although Duggan was driving over the speed limit. Charges are pending.

To help students cope with the news Monday, Chapel Hill-Carrboro school officials instituted what they call their "crisis plan." The school principal on Sunday notified teachers who taught and knew Land, and grief counselors came to school Monday.

At the close of school Monday, a moment of silence was held in Land's honor.