Two teenagers in town to play in a college soccer showcase left their hotel Friday to get a late night snack. Moments later, Kaitlyn M. Grogan lay dead in the street and Brittany J. Gruber had a fractured skull and other serious injuries.

"They had gone to Albertsons to get something to eat, but they never made it back," said team trainer Paul Allen. He said the girls' teammates - members of FC New York United Tigers from Queens, N.Y. - were in shock from the incident.
"Katie was my best friend," said Julia Volpe, 17. "They [Grogan and Gruber] had come on an early morning flight with three other girls. We came last night."

"We got in around 11 p.m.," added Amy Sagona, who also called Grogan her best friend. "The others found out about the accident at the airport, but they didn't tell us until we got to the hotel."

The team was staying at the Best Western hotel on Waters Avenue, a short distance from Dale Mabry Highway.
"I just don't know what to say," Volpe said. "I still can't believe it. It doesn't seem real."

The teens were struck by a 2006 Acura driven by Aaron M. Carr of Temple Terrace, 23, as they attempted to cross Dale Mabry at Waters Avenue, the Florida Highway Patrol reported. They were running westbound across the southbound lanes of Dale Mabry when they ran into Carr's path. The Acura was headed south in the center lane approaching Waters Avenue on a green light, the highway patrol said.

Grogan, 18, of Bayside, N.Y., was pronounced dead at the scene of the 9:56 p.m. accident, the highway patrol said. Gruber, 17, of West Islip, N.Y., on Long Island, was taken to St. Joseph's Children's Hospital with head injuries and was reported in serious condition. Her parents, who came down with the team for the tournament, were with her Saturday.

A hospital administrator said Gruber's parents had requested no further information be released.