Guilderland High School senior dies after car accident
GUILDERLAND — A Guilderland teenager died on Sunday after being injured in a car accident.
Megi Hamza, 18, was a senior at Guilderland High School.
“Megi will be remembered as warm and friendly, with a sweet disposition,” wrote Guilderland Superintendent Marie Wiles in an email to school families on Sunday night. “Always positive and smiling, she lit up any room she was in. Many students were fortunate to call Megi their friend. She touched many lives at GHS and will truly be missed.”
New York State Police responded to the accident scene on the northbound Northway just south of the Twin Bridges at about 4:46 a.m. on March 27, according to a release from the police.
Hamza was driving north in a 2006 Toyota Corolla when “she became disabled in the center lane,” the release said. Timothy Murphy, 72, of Glens Falls, was driving a 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe north in the right lane.
“Murphy changed lanes into the middle lane in response to an uninvolved tractor-trailer,” the release said. “The tractor-trailer had stopped alongside Hamza with its hazard lights on. Murphy failed to observe Hamza stopped in the center lane and impacted the rear of the vehicle.”
Hamza was taken to Albany Medical Center where she died as a result of her injuries. Murphy was also transported to Albany Medical Center with injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening. The investigation is ongoing, the March 27 release said.
“It is extremely difficult to face the death of a young person,” Wiles wrote in her Sunday email. “Tomorrow, GCSD school psychologists, counselors and social workers will be available in the Large Group Instruction (LGI) room at GHS to provide counseling and support to students and staff members. Students who would like to speak to someone in a more private setting should contact their school counselor or ask any staff member for help.
“I encourage families to talk with their children as they may have questions and worries about this loss. Discussing thoughts and feelings is important in helping your child work through grief.”
The district has posted resources on its website that students and their families may use.
