Community stunned after death of 16-year-old Sammie Aguilar

Saturday ABC-7 confirmed with the Ysleta Independent School District that the teen killed in a carnival ride was a student at J.M. Hanks High School.

A district spokesman confirms the teen was Sammie Aguilar.

Friends say she was 16 and was on the track & field team.

District officials say they are gathering the facts at this time and will have counselors on hand for students on Monday.

ABC-7 crews were at St. Thomas Aquinas Church on Saturday but did not see any agencies investigating the scene.

Church services went on as normal but the carnival was shut down.

Police told ABC-7 the incident is still under investigation.

Carnival grounds are usually filled with laughter, people and flashing lights.

What was supposed to be a three-day celebration for children, turned deadly.

Friday night the church was eerily quiet, the celebration canceled. The only flashing lights Friday were from police cars

“When you receive a phone call like this you really kind of hope that you guys(the media) have gotten the information wrong. To be perfectly honest I just thought there’s no way this really happened,” said Elizabeth O’Hara, spokeswoman for the Catholic Diocese of El Paso.

The three girls were on a ride called the “Sizzler.”

Two girls were ejected from their seats. One was treated for a bump on the head;
the other, Sam Aguilar, slammed into a metal barrier.

She died at Del Sol Medical Center.

The news of Aguilar’s death was heart wrenching for many, especially for those at St. Thomas Aquinas.

“I can tell you that having the opportunity to speak to Father Ed, he is crushed. He loves this community and he was doing this for the community as an event for children so to see that a young girl has been killed and one has been injured it’s devastating,” O’hara said.

Police are now investigating the company that owns the ride, Las Cruces based, Playtime Amusements Inc.

Officials couldn’t say whether the ride malfunctioned or if there was an operator error.

The company didn’t return calls for comment.

Bishop Mark Seitz issued the following statement Saturday, saying he was deeply saddened by the accident:

“When such a joyful event turns tragic the pain of the loss is even greater. The Diocese of El Paso deeply regrets this terrible loss. Words are incapable of expressing our sorrow at the death of this young girl. We know that no words will alleviate her family’s pain but we will ask our merciful God to do through prayer what words are incapable of doing: bringing consolation in the midst of this sorrow.”

Friends of Aguilar are planning on having a remembrance Monday and are encouraging everyone to wear redin honor of Sammie.