UPDATED: March 2, 2013, 11:58 a.m.

An 18-year-old woman is dead after an early-morning car accident on Comstock 
Avenue between an SUV and Centro bus, according to a Syracuse Police Department
 news release.

The woman died at Upstate University Hospital due to injuries from the accident,
according to the release. Her name is not being released at this time.

Thomas Wolfe, senior vice president and dean of student affairs at Syracuse University, said the woman was not an SU student, but a student at Westhill High School in the town of Onondaga. He said while the SU community hasn’t experienced a loss, another has.

The crash happened at about 12:43 a.m. A Centro bus was driving north on
 Comstock Avenue, and struck a GMC Denali that entered its path. Police closed 
Comstock Avenue from Stratford Street to East Colvin Street as they investigated the scene.

The woman was the driver of the Denali and was the only person in the SUV, according to the release.

SPD Sgt. Gary Bulinski said the cause of the accident is still unknown and the investigation could take a few days. Multiple SPD Crime Scene Unit vans were investigating the accident scene in the early morning hours.

Centro released a statement late Saturday morning that said a post-accident test showed there was no alcohol present in the bus driver’s system.

“We are deeply saddened and send our condolences to the family of the victim of this morning’s accident,” the statement said. “The Syracuse Police Department is currently conducting the investigation into its cause. Following Federal and State regulations, Centro administered post accident testing which showed no presence of alcohol in the bus driver’s system.”

The Daily Orange will update this story as more information is known.

Published on March 2, 2013 at 10:50 am

Contact Mark: mcooperj@syr.edu | @mark_cooperjr