9/19/97        The Bristol Press

FATAL MOTORCYCLE CRASH INVESTIGATION COULD TAKE SEVERAL MONTHS: POLICE SAY

By James O'Keefe And Loretta Waldman

BRISTOL -- Police say it will take several months to complete the investigation into the fatal motorcycle crash that claimed the life of a Bristol Eastern High School senior.

Amanda "Mandi" Quinto, 18, of Brook Street was riding on the back of a motorcycle that slammed into a car on Center Street Saturday night. Quinto died Wednesday at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center.

"There is a good possibility charges will be brought," police Lt. William Leone said Thursday.

But Leone couldn't say at this point if charges would be filed against the operator of the motorcycle or the driver of the car.

He said investigators are now awaiting the results of a medical examiner's report and the driving histories of both operators. There is no indication alcohol was a factor, Leone said.

The death of the popular student known as "Glamour Girl" to her multitude of friends has rocked Bristol Eastern.

"None of us realize how fragile life is until something like this happens," Eastern Principal V. Everett Lyons told students during the school's morning announcements Thursday.

Dozens of Quinto's classmates held a candlelight vigil at Page Park Wednesday as a tribute to their beloved friend. Even more are expected to attend her funeral Saturday.

The driver of the car the motorcycle collided with was also devastated to learn that Quinto had died from her injuries.

Cynthia Soucy, 27, of Bristol said she, her parents and aunt were on their way home from having hamburgers and ice cream at Friendly's restaurant when the accident occurred.

Soucy said she was turning her Monte Carlo from Main Street onto Center Street when the motorcycle came out of nowhere and crashed into the side of her car.

"There is no way we could have avoided it.  All we saw was a white light," Soucy said. "We didn't even know what hit us."

When the smoke from the deployed airbags cleared, Soucy and her family saw two people lying on the roadway outside their car.

Police say Quinto struck the hood of Soucy's car on impact and was thrown to the ground. She wasn't wearing a helmet. The motorcycle driver, 21-year-old Eric Files of Bristol, wasn't seriously injured, police said.

Soucy said her mother, Catherine Mastroianni, performed CPR on Quinto at the scene. Mastroianni, who is a registered nurse, managed to resuscitate the badly injured teen before help arrived, Soucy said.

Soucy, her father, Paquale Mastroianni, and her aunt, Terese Drouin, suffered minor injuries in the crash and were treated at Bristol Hospital. The days since the accident have been tough, Soucy said. News of Quinto's death compounded her pain, she added.

"It's been horrible. It's just making me sick," said Soucy, who hasn't returned to work since the accident.

Classmates described Quinto as a friendly, outgoing young woman whom everyone loved. She enjoyed going out dancing with her friends and playing trumpet in the school band.

Her death appears to have made students very aware of how dangerous it can be to get on a motorcycle without a helmet and how important it is to drive safely, Lyons said.

"This has been a wake-up call for quite a few students," he said.

Thursday night several of Quinto's friends were tossing flowers on the road where the accident occurred. Written on the pavement were the words, "We Love You Glamour Girl."

Funeral services for Quinto will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Anthony Church.