Class of 1995 Alum Karla Arias is Killed in Crash
Karla Arias, a 1995 graduate of Huntington High School, was killed in a one-car accident on March 21 at 5:45 a.m. while driving eastbound on Northern State Parkway. She was 32 years old.
Ms. Arias was president of the National Honor Society as a high school senior and a member of the National Spanish Honor Society. At the 134th annual commencement exercises at Huntington High School on Sunday, June 25, she led a crowd of more than 2,000 students and family members in the pledge of allegiance.
Following high school, Ms. Arias attended St. John’s University, earning a bachelor’s degree there in 1999. After a short stint with a marketing firm, she worked as a paralegal in New York City, first at David Polk & Wardwell and then at Davis & Gilbert LLP.
At Huntington High School, Ms. Arias was well-known for her sparkling personality, remarkable kindness and sunny disposition. She was a four-year member of the Blue Devil girls’ track program, excelling as a sprinter.
“Karla was a bright woman with an immense capacity to care for others,” said Eliza Rechul, a friend, attorney and fellow member of the Class of 1995, who returned from Cincinnati, OH for Ms. Arias’ funeral. “Her family and friends were her standing priority. She had a way to light up a room with her smile, which became her trademark early in her life.”
“She was always very nice and I don't remember ever seeing her without a big smile on her face,” said Dr, James Paci, another member of the Class of 1995.
The heartbreaking accident has left Ms. Arias’ family and friends devastated. The Huntington alum was driving a 1999 Mitsubishi near Exit 30 (I.U. Willets Road) when the car went off the road and struck the overpass, according to an online report. Emergency medical workers from the Roslyn Fire Dept. and the Nassau County Ambulance corps responded to the scene of the fatal crash.
Ms. Arias, who lived on Crombie Street in Huntington Station, was born October 14, 1976. As a Huntington senior, she earned the Donald Archer Scholarship and a Choral Award. Huntington’s Class of 1995 was an extremely talented and distinguished group of graduates and Ms. Arias maintained strong friendships through the years with many of her classmates.
A funeral Mass was held at St. Hugh of Lincoln Roman Catholic Church in Huntington Station with interment following at St. Patrick’s Cemetery.
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