KEY POINTS:
A 16-year-old girl died in a car crash on her way to school yesterday.
She was named today as Sarah Jane Thomas.
Her car caught fire following a two-car crash 5km southeast of Morrinsville, about 8.30am.
Morrinsville College acting principal Marian Fogarty said students were told of the death at an assembly held during the morning.
"We arranged a meeting point at the back of the hall and anyone who felt they needed support came to the back of the hall and was given tea and Milo," she said.
Students had not been sent home, she said.
"We have put everything in place that we need to do.
"Members of a group, the special education trauma team, have come in to work with our guidance counsellor and past guidance counsellor, so the children have plenty of support."
Waikato serious crash unit investigators and Matamata-Piako traffic unit staff spent a large part of yesterday examining the scene.
The road was closed well into the afternoon because of an exhaustive clean-up operation caused by the use of foam by the Fire Service.
Waikato Fire Service support officer Callan Stewart confirmed the victim had been the driver of one of the cars.
"The vehicle with the deceased was on fire when we arrived," Mr Stewart said. "We had to extract the deceased once the fire was out."
Mr Stewart said the driver of the other vehicle had been taken to hospital.
Police said initial indications were that the woman's Morrinsville-bound vehicle had collided with another vehicle heading in the opposite direction, toward State Highway 27.
