A Greene County school district is mourning the death of a student Wednesday and critical injuries suffered by another in a crash.

"We are all deeply saddened by the loss of one of our West Greene High School students, Desiree Brosovich," Superintendent Thelma Szarell said in a note sent home yesterday with students in the West Greene School District.

Desiree, a 16-year-old junior, was a passenger in a car driven by her friend, Ashley Ross, 17, as the two girls rode home from school. Ashley lost control of her older model Ford Thunderbird around 3:30 p.m. while traveling west on Route 21 in Center, Greene County, state police said.

The vehicle skidded sideways into the eastbound lane where it was struck by an eastbound pickup truck driven by Charles R. Nelson, 39, of Dunbar, Fayette County. He was not injured.

Neither of the girls, both from Wind Ridge, was wearing a seat belt. Desiree was thrown from the vehicle. She was pronounced dead at the scene by Coroner Gregory Rohanna.

Ashley was taken by helicopter to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, W.Va., where she was in critical condition yesterday.