‘I can never get back my daughter’; Father of woman killed in I-490 crash shares message
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The father of Skylar Swift, one of the two people killed in the rollover crash on I-490 at Culver Road on Friday, shared a message about the death of his 18-year-old daughter.
The driver of the car, Christopher Long Jr., is charged with manslaughter and was taken to the Monroe County Jail on $100,000 bail after the crash. Swift’s father told News10NBC he wants justice:
“I am at a loss for words. He took something away from a little girl that needed her mama and took away something I can never get back, my daughter.”
The message continues:
“This world is so messed up. I don’t even know how to understand it. Hope the system doesn’t fail. I hope the two in that car that lost their lives get justice. I am just to hurt to talk to anybody right now. I just hope he gets the punishment that he deserves.”
New York State Police said the car hit a barrier while exiting I-490, rolled multiple times, crashed into a utility pole, and crashed into a fence. The car came to rest in the grass near the Culver Road Armory parking lot.
Swift died at the scene. Another passenger, 23-year-old Aleci Lopez, was taken to Strong Hospital where she died of her injuries. A third passenger was also hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
On Saturday, friends and family of crash victims gathered at the crash site to hold a vigil. Loved ones honored the victims with a balloon release and brought mementos including candles, flowers, and balloons. The family requested that there be no filming of the vigil.
The driver is due in court for a preliminary hearing on Wednesday.