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Valrico girl, 13, is killed after falling off car hood

 
Published Feb. 17, 1990|Updated Oct. 16, 2005

A joy ride turned tragic when a 13-year-old Valrico girl was killed after falling off the hood of a moving car, authorities said. Mandi Marie Lentz apparently lost her balance and fell to the pavement, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said. The accident occurred at 5:55 p.m. Thursday in front of her home at 1833 Kim Acres Lane. Michelle Faro, 13, who also was riding on the car, was uninjured.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said Miss Lentz was riding on the hood of a 1980 Chevrolet when the car stopped in front of her house. "But she lost her balance and hit the pavement," Carter said.

The name of the driver, a 16-year-old boy, was not released. Carter said the three teens had been joy riding in the neighborhood shortly before the accident.

Miss Lentz was an eighth-grader at Mann Junior High School in Valrico. On Friday, members of the school's crisis team counseled students who were upset about the accident.

A school spokeswoman said Miss Lentz's parents asked that no information be released about their daughter.