Crash Kills Twins Near High School : Tragedy: Death of Frank and Brian Pennisi follows on the heels of the slaying of another Santana student.

Only months after a popular cheerleader was stabbed to death, students at Santana High School in Santee were dealt another severe blow Wednesday when two students--twin brothers--were killed in a three-car collision near the campus that injured seven others.

Frank Pennisi, 16, was driving the car that veered out of control on Magnolia Avenue shortly after 7 a.m., authorities said. He and his brother, Brian, were killed after the car collided with another car moments before the start of the school day.

Frank died at UC San Diego Medical Center. Brian died at Mercy Hospital. Others involved in the accident remain in hospitals. The most seriously injured was Curtis Roselle, 18, who late Wednesday was in serious but stable condition at Mercy.

Witnesses said Frank’s car was traveling north on Magnolia at a high speed, weaving in and out of traffic, when it swerved sharply into a southbound lane and collided with another car, which was then struck by a third car.

Santee Fire Department Division Chief Bob Pfohl said six teen-agers were trapped in the Pennisis’ car and that some were unconscious.

Sara Bell, 14, was in stable condition late Wednesday at UCSD Medical Center with pelvic injuries. Robert Inot, 16, suffered a concussion and was in good condition at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center.

Mike Shilling, 17, and Ellen Casper, 52, were taken to Grossmont Hospital, where they were treated and released. Information about two victims taken to the trauma center at Sharp Memorial Hospital was unavailable, at the request of their families.

Sharon Miller, a spokeswoman for the hospital, said one, a 22-year-old woman, was in fair condition Wednesday night, while the other, a 42-year-old woman, was in satisfactory condition.

“We had a murder only last spring,” Santana Principal Terrie Pennock said Wednesday, referring to the death of Christin Gray, 15, found slain in April in the mobile home park where she lived with her mother.

Christin, a cheerleader and member of the gymnastics team, was attacked moments after talking with her boyfriend on the phone, police said. Despite months of intense investigation, Christin’s killer remains at large.

“This is such a tragedy,” Pennock said of Wednesday’s accident. “Our hearts go out to the families and the friends of the students who were injured and killed and to the students whose feelings will be much on our minds.”

Pennock dispatched a crisis team to assist not only students who observed the accident, which occurred near the intersection of Magnolia Avenue and Frank Lane half a mile south of the school, but those who knew the twins and are trying to recover from yet another tragedy.

“I know (the Pennisi brothers) were popular and highly thought of,” Pennock said. “I expect a rough day at school, because most of the students didn’t hear about it until the end of the day (Wednesday). It’s just one more thing we all have to endure . . . just as Christin’s murder was last spring. It’s been a rough year here.”