Promising Fashion Model Dies In Fiery Crash

The Center for Auto Safety is the nation’s premier independent, member driven, non-profit consumer advocacy organization dedicated to improving vehicle safety, quality, and fuel economy on behalf of all drivers, passengers, and pedestrians.

7/31/06

TRENTON, N.J. — She’d recently appeared on the cover of Italian Vogue, and had modeled for top designers at shows this summer in Milan and Paris.

But now, 19-year-old Heather Bratton is dead, the victim of a fiery crash on the New Jersey Turnpike. Authorities confirm that she was killed in the three-car crash a week ago.

A statement from her booking agency said she’d been headed to Newark International Airport. Her stepfather told the New York Post she’d been in New York for a photo shoot.

Police said the hired car in which she was a passenger had broken down in the center lane of the turnpike, and was rear-ended by an SUV. Both cars caught fire, and she was trapped inside.