A Penn State Altoona cheerleader from Canonsburg died yesterday in a Blair County car accident that injured four others, according to police and friends.

Nicole Chauvet, 19, was in the back seat of a Honda Civic carrying four of her friends when the car turned left into the path of a Jaguar at Chestnut Avenue and Juniata Gap Road, said Logan Township Police Chief Ron Heller. The crash happened at about 6:30 p.m. yesterday.

All five students in the Honda Civic were taken to Altoona Regional Medical Center, where Ms. Chauvet was pronounced dead, said Chief Heller.

Friends said Ms. Chauvet, who was an education major, was bubbly and energetic. A Penguins fan who would have given anything to meet player Kris Letang, she had hoped to obtain a master's degree and become a school principal, said her friend Emily Fortune, of Huntingdon, Pa.

"She was really a kid at heart," said Ms. Fortune, who met Ms. Chauvet through the cheerleading team. "I think that was the best part about her. She never stopped. She was always so happy."

Ms. Chauvet attended Canon McMillan High School before matriculating at Penn State Altoona, where she was a sophomore. She had intended to transfer to the university's main campus in University Park to finish her bachelor's degree, said Ms. Fortune.

The four women who were injured were Ms. Chauvet's roommates, said their next-door neighbor, Tyler Schroeder, of New Jersey. They were driving back from a nearby grocery store when the crash happened, he said.

One of the women, 18-year-old Nicole Lawrence of Maryland, was critically injured, said Chief Heller. Mr. Schroeder said this morning that Ms. Lawrence, also a cheerleader, was in an induced coma.

Chief Heller said the Honda Civic's driver, 18-year-old Kaitlyn Leavins of Glen Mills, Delaware County, was treated and released, as were 18-year-old Holly Hamilton, of Sinking Spring, Berks County, and 18-year-old Alyssa Walsh, of Downingtown, Chester County/

Chief Heller said the Honda Civic had a green light when the crash happened but did not yield before turning onto Juniata Gap Road from Chestnut Avenue.

The passengers in the front seat were wearing seatbelts, said Chief Heller. He said it had not been determined today if the passengers in the back seat were wearing seatbelts.

The Jaguar's driver, 30-year-old Jason Sanders of Altoona, sustained minor injuries.

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