Allison Dwarska was a senior at Sabis International Charter School, where she was the catcher for the varsity softball team, the cheerleading captain and editor-in-chief of the yearbook staff.
Allison Dwarska This updates stories posted Thursday at 8:07 a.m. and at 10:58 a.m.
SPRINGFIELD — The family of 17-year-old accident victim Allison Dwarska remembered her on Thursday as caring, smart and beautiful – and "one of a kind."
Dwarska's aunt, Leslie Sias, said the family is numb over the death of Allison, who was a senior at Sabis International Charter School, where she was the catcher for the varsity softball team, the cheerleading captain and editor-in-chief of the yearbook staff.
Allison was killed after the car she was riding in crashed on Roosevelt Avenue late Wednesday night.
Allison leaves behind her parents, Donna and Don, and her brother, Daniel, 21.
The family said she had a lot of friends at school, including her close friends that she referred to as "my girls."
"She was the most caring, smart and beautiful girl," Sias said on Thursday.
Sias said Allison loved to shop, and it was something they often did together. She was looking forward to "Black Friday" shopping with her mother, Sias said. Allison also enjoyed baking.
After graduation in June, Allison planned to go to the University of Alabama to study biology. The family said she was "daddy's little girl" and particularly enjoyed watching the Boston Bruins with her father and brother.
Her aunt said Allison is "really going to be missed by everyone" and losing her is heartbreaking.
"She was one of a kind. She would light up the whole room," Sias said.
One of Allison's favorite quotes, her aunt said, was something she would often say to her brother: "Shoot for the stars to achieve your dreams because if you don't make it, you would land on the clouds."
The accident remains under investigation by Springfield police. The driver, also 17, has not been identified, but may face charges, police said.
The crash happened at approximately 11 p.m., near the intersection of Roosevelt Avenue and Isabel Street.
Sgt. John Delaney, executive aide to Police Commissioner William Fitchet, said that the car – a Cadillac Seville – was traveling north at a high rate of speed, and the driver lost control around the curve, crashing into the woods in a ditch on the side of the road.
Firefighters were called to the scene to put out a fire that ignited in the car.
Delaney said Allison was a passenger, sitting in a rear seat. He said she was rushed to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
It was the first of two fatal car crashes that happened overnight in the city. Whether seat belts were used in either crash is still being investigated.