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Chuck Crow / The Plain Dealer
Sean Egan embraces Brandon Davies as the Brunswick High School students mourn at the site of a fatal crash on Boston Road in Columbia Township on Sunday.
A car carrying five teenagers went airborne as it sped over railroad tracks early Sunday and crashed, killing the 18-year-old driver hours before his high school graduation and two of his passengers, the Ohio State Highway Patrol said.
A fourth teen, who was airlifted from the scene, died Monday at the Metrohealth Medical Center, the Plain Dealer reported.
Less than 13 hours after the crash, Brunswick High School students left empty seats covered with flowers at their graduation ceremony to remember driver Jeffrey Chaya and Kevin Fox, the student who died Monday.
"It was very sad," Superintendent Michael Mayell said after the commencement ceremony at the University of Akron. "There were a lot of tears."
The 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier was traveling at a high speed just after midnight when Chaya lost control in Columbia Township in northeast Ohio, troopers at the Elyria post said. The car went airborne and off the right side of the roadway, then swerved across the left side of the road, hit a ditch and tree, then flipped over, according to the troopers' report.
Chaya, front-seat passenger Blake Bartchak, 17, and back-seat passenger Lexi Poerner, 16, died in the crash, according to The Chronicle-Telegram newspaper.
Cleveland's Plain Dealer reported that Chaya and Bartchak were close friends, having first met in fourth grade when Chaya moved to the neighborhood. The two were together "constantly," Chaya's parents told the newspaper.
Fox, a back-seat passenger, was thrown from the car into a ditch, troopers said. He was flown to Cleveland Metro Health Medical Center where he died Monday.
The fifth person in the car, identified by troopers as 17-year-old Julia Romito, was taken to Southwest General Hospital. The Plain-Dealer said reported she was in stable condition in surgical intensive care.
Peggy Turbett / The Plain Dealer
Colin Curtis, left and Sobhit Haribakthi, seniors who graduated from Brunswick High School Sunday, grieve during a prayer service at St. Ambrose Church..
'Very popular students'
Fox and Chaya were called during the commencement, which included a moment of silence and comments about the tragic accident, Mayell said. More than 600 students graduated Sunday.
Grief counselors were available to meet with students at the high school later in the day. Memorial services were held Sunday evening at a church and a performing arts center.
"We want to allow the families to grieve in peace, and do whatever we can to get through this very tragic situation," Mayell said.
Troopers were still investigating the crash Sunday. They said the only confirmed factor was unsafe speed, although they were still calculating the car's estimated speed.
Peggy Turbett / The Plain Dealer
Angel Smith, left, Samantha Aborub, and Charlotte Sigel, friends of Lexi Poerner and graduates of Brunswick High School in 2010, mourn during the candelight service for Brunswick High School victims.
Mayell has known Poerner's family for years, and said the students who were killed were well known at school, taking part in school activities and volunteering.
"They were very popular students, very well-liked," Mayell said. "We've always been a very tight-knit community," he said. "It's one of those things that happens that I just don't get."
Chaya, a wide receiver on the Brunswick High football team, was the kind of teen with a lot of "best friends," his mother Paula Chaya told the Plain Dealer.
"He just loved being around his friends, and he had a ton of people who loved him," she told the newspaper.
Chaya had posted Saturday on his Twitter account: "Weird to think graduation is tomorrow time does fly big time."
On Saturday, graduating seniors at another northeast Ohio high school wore special red and black ribbons as a sign of unity and remembrance in the aftermath of the Feb. 27 Chardon school shootings that killed three students and wounded two others.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
Drunk.
No confirmation if alcohol was involved, though I wouldn't be surprised.
It happens every year around graduation...parties...good times...until they get behind the wheel.
Guaranteed not to be the last we hear of this kind of senseless tragedy.
Condolences to the families.
My guess is that you probably are.
@Mr. Binkie;
were you a passanger?
Local news for me here and very sad. Friends and family on TV said they were great kids and not the wild type. I don't think it is for anyone to judge rather think of the families. My condolences to them.
If the safer alternative of "marijuana" was not listed as the worst drug under the DEA's schedule of drugs and the students were not brainwashed to think it was bad they would have probably been using that instead of the "alcohol" which kills over 100,000 people in the USA alone each year... Marijuana = 0 deaths. Drink Alcohol = Death. Vaporize or eat Marijuana = Life. If they were drinking that is what killed them.
How can alcohol be blamed for 100,000 deaths each year?
Seven2Seven,
Message boards always bring out the worst in people, because you can't see the poster's face or should I say, the bully behind the screen.
If you want to be criticized or hounded, a message board is the place to be!
As for the young teens, ALL kids celebrate their graduation in one way or another. This celebration just happened to go bad, but that doesn't make them "bad" kids or "thugs".
My sincere condolences to the grieving family and friends.
There is no safer way to be intoxicated and behind the wheel of a car. Interestingly enough, many people who are drunk are also high as they are involved in fatal car crashes. Unitl we have the equivalent of a breathalizer for pot, we should not discuss legalizing it. Of course, I would be just as happy with the method they used while I lived in Gemany. The Polizei could compel you to come with them to the nearest hospital and give a blood sample. This would be at your expense. I'm sorry, but facts matter. Being drunk or stoned is not safe when it comes to driving, no matter what you would like to believe.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/18/stoned-driving-epidemic-p_n_1357101.html
differnet,
They can easily test for THC, its called a blood test. They do it routinely for fatal wrecks along with testing for every other drug. More uninformed BS from a differnet person. And there is a difference between being drunk or stoned when driving.. probably about 50mph difference, and the difference between life and death.
I suppose someone forgot to think happy thoughts when they got sprinkled with pixie dust...
Bad joke I know, but let's face it, they probably saw the big railroad bump, tried to rush ahead of a train or thought they'd take the car for a flight, felt as high as Superman, then flipped and their car faceplanted into the ground. I should know, I used to be that age, and I used to do stupid things all the time on my Sea-Doo (personal watercraft). Only difference is, I wore a helmet and life vest most of the time...
The crash happened at 12:11am Sunday morning (aka late Saturday night).
So I wouldn't rule out alcohol, although the police didn't indicate if they thought it was a factor or not.
But teenage bravado can be just as dangerous - showing off to girls, friends, going too fast and lost control. If my teenage years are any indication, these kids may have known that if you hit the tracks fast you'd go airborn and did it intentionally but lost control.
Definitely a difference, but it's never good to be impaired when driving regardless. Stoned behind the wheel might be 'safer' than being drunk, but that's only relative - compared to driving sober, it's still pretty dangerous.
Were any of them wearing seatbelts?
Ophotfoot... Perhaps you have a reading comprehension issue. I'm talking about you being pulled over. When you are, how can we determine if you are too stoned to drive? They had a good way in Germany. If the Polizei suspected you were under the influence of pot, they would drive you to the nearest hospital, where your blood would be drawn. Of course, this would also pick up any other chemicals that might be in the mix, so a simple pot draw would also catch people under the influence of other drugs. Now, in Germany, they have nationalized medicine, so the blood draw was no cost, the testing you paid. Here in the USA, you would probably be responsible for all the testing. We don't know how many people drive stoned, until we have a testing system. Right now, we base it on the police testimony and that driving under any level of the drug in your system is considered illegal.
You don't have to be drunk at that age to have an accident from misjudgement. Most High School students don't have enough experience driving during the day let alone at night.
Instead of tarnishing the kid's reputation by speculation we should extent our condolences to his and the other victom's families and friends.
These terribly tragic and unfortunate accidents happen each year. Better driver education and more common sense needed.
My heart goes out to all who know and love these poor kids.
Whether or not alcohol was involved, speeding was. As for alcohol, isn't it amazing that this drug is involved in 45% of vehicular accident deaths are connected to it, yet if it were oxycontin, we'd be pulling it off the markets? It's all a matter of societal acceptance.
So quick to judge young people for drugs and alcohol.... I live in the city the crash took place and the cause could very well be excessive speed. The railroad tracks they speak of are VERY dangerous at a high speed- they are diagonal to the road and go up about 4 feet at a more than 45 degree grade. I remember when I first got my license driving down that stripe of road over and over for the thrill of jumping the tracks. That is untill I started hearing how many people hit those tracks at a high speed and end up hitting a tree on the other side. There is a particular tree that is constantly covered in ribbons and wreaths because of the many deaths there...
Different "how can we tell if you are too stoned to drive" - the same way you can tell if someone has had too much allergy meds, or any prescript meds that make them "sleepy and less responsive"
oh wait, there arent tests for those either, are there? but im pretty sure if someone were pulled over and a little sleepy on allergy meds, but still with it, it would not be considered illegal.
I suppose an easy way to tell - are they are doing something illegal while driving. If so, ticket them...end of story.
if they get into an accident - test them, for everything...not just pot, but all drugs - including those that are prescribed. considering prescipt meds are the most abused, ahead of street drugs.
though, we rarely get up in arms about the legally dope dealers called BIG PHARMA and how wasted all their "patients" are driving on the streets.
JBR "That is untill I started hearing how many people hit those tracks at a high speed and end up hitting a tree on the other side."
so how many deaths will it take to fix that stretch of tracks?
it seems where I live thats how they determine to make changes - not until enough people die is worth the $ to be spent on something like that. drives me nuts.
You don't have to be drunk at that age to drive like an idiot. I was never drunk when I was driving like that at that age. I just thought I was invincible and hot sh!t because I had my license and could drive and show off to my friends. I had a very close call with friends in my car...I just got lucky.
Heart felt condolences to the kids and their families - and their fellow students. What a horrible overcast to what should be a wonderful celebration of many starting a new phase in their lives.
You don't have to be drunk at that age to drive like an idiot. I was never drunk when I was driving like that at that age. I just thought I was invincible and hot sh!t because I had my license and could drive and show off to my friends. I had a very close call with friends in my car...I just got lucky.
Heart felt condolences to the kids and their families - and their fellow students. What a horrible overcast to what should be a wonderful celebration of many starting a new phase in their lives.
Yeah, many people used to think driving drunk was okay. They thought they were more careful, so could compensate for it. Now it's less acceptable, although it is RIDICULOUS the number of people who seem to think they can knock down beer after beer for 5 hours, then go onto a soft drink for an hour or 2 and be okay to drive. Personally I will not have more than 2 beers (and over a long period if I do) and normally only have 1 when I drive, which is not often anyway.
But my point was, you are deluding yourself if you think you can smoke weed and it not impair you. You're deluded the same way people think they can get drunk and be fine. You can be more careful, and might even feel okay, but if something unusual happens your attention span, judgement and reactions are impaired.
Having said that, there's no evidence of alcohol or drugs being involved in this accident. I was never a reckless driver myself and it used to mortify me to see the way some of my friends drove. I never liked getting in a car with some of them, and that had nothing to do with them drinking or doing drugs beforehand, it was because they were stupid behind the wheel and took major risks.
At least the driver bit the dust. Most times, the driver survives and the passengers are victims of the driver's stupidity.
All this talk about alcohol and drugs should be irrelevant. Kids that age have no business driving, period. I don't care if they're tee-totalers and straight as an arrow.
It reallly doesn't matter if they are drunk, if they were thrown out the car, they obviously weren't wearing a seatbelt, and they were going too damn fast. That is why they are dead. No offense, but when you do stuff like that, you are bound to end up dead. This happened to a boy in my graduating class. from my understanding he was the only one not drunk in the car, but he died because he wasn't wearing a seatbelt and was thrown from the car.
most likely they were just driving like @!$%#s and got what was coming to them
I really don't understand how anything other than heartfelt condolences is appropriate at a time like this. How can anyone pass judgment at a time like this? These young people lost their lives and they are people's children, friends, etc. People need to get over the notion that they somehow have everything figured out better than everyone else and just feel for these people what you would feel if you knew anyone in that car or God forbid, it was your brother, child, sister, friend. It's sick that tragedy is used as a time for more judgment.
The difference between driving drunk & stoned: a drunk speeds through a stop sign while a stoner stops & waits for it to turn green.
Differnet.....the only problem with any test for THC is that it stays in your system for at least 30 days (or thereabouts) so you could have it in your system (give a dirty test) without being under the influence. I feel so sad for the families of those kids, even the idiot drivers' family. Drunk, stoned, or sober, speeding and acting the fool is what got those kids killed.
Terribly tragic event. The lives of these young people just beginning and to have it end this way. Condolences to all who have been affected and may Kevin and Julia recover quickly.
I only feel bad for the passengers. The driver was an idiot that didn't care about their safety. He deserved the fate he received.
Thats harsh..he was young. Very sad situation which cost them their lives. Thats why parents need to control the number of teens out joy riding and partying always a tragedy like this.
Valerie68- Yep, he was young, but by law he's the age of an adult. Who would you blame if he had already moved out and didn't live with his parents?
We live on a winding tree lined road with Medians with trees and shrubbery and the road is single lane on each side but wide enough for two cars not exactly a straight road for driving fast. The speed limit is 30 and in the past few years we have had 2 young people crash their (one a parents car) cars with friends in them and killed all in each accident one hit the curb over corrected then hit a tree head on. The other was going so fast that when he attempted to turn into the street he flew into the brick entrance into the neighborhood and the car burst into flames. In both instance no drugs or alcohol just excessive speed.
Really? Have you, like myself and essentially all adults, at some time or another, driven over the limit, ran through a stop light or sign, answered a call, or fiddled with the radio or a drink or a snack? We then all deserve the fate these young people received, and yet we're here, beneficiaries of grace or mercy or luck.
"Fate" has a fickle finger, and really doesn't make consistent or fair decisions. Rather than being glad he got what he deserved, by your logic, shouldn't you be terribly sad that he didn't receive the blessing of "fate" turning a blind eye at just the right moment like it has for you and me? Shouldn't we wish that, like ourselves, this boy didn't receive what he deserved in a moment of bad judgment but what he and his family deserved -- a long, happy life? Otherwise, you should beg fate to be fair and give you what you deserve. Myself, I pray for mercy and grace -- and drive carefully. But that's the wisdom and exerience of over 40 years of life. I ache that he didn't get same chances I've gotten to acquire those.
How is this dirfferent than any other car crash that has ever killed teens or anyone else across the nation or world for that matter. Why does this one incident deem the attention that it's getting?
NineT930thTA
Your comment is extremely harsh. I certainly hope the parents of the driver aren't reading this and see that someone called their child an idiot for his deadly mistake. '
Since you're so perfect, I assume you never did anything stupid in your teen years. You never ever did something that could have resulted in serious consequences. This boy was a young driver that used poor judgement but he didn't deserve to die.
Your comment is rude and insensitive and doesn't take into account that this boy has parents and loved ones who are grieving his loss. Grow up and show a little respect.
Justin, if you actually need to ask that, then you are beyond hopeless. And tell us what you would rather: The media report on NO acciedents or ALL accidents?
What a sad situation. When I think of all the crazy things I did as a driver at that age, I realize that I was one of the lucky ones. These young people were not. Condolences and prayers for the family!
My prayers are w the family and friends of these teens. It is a tragedy whenever we lose our children, no matter what the circumstances. Kids make mistakes whether they are straight A students or failing or dropping out or involved in gangs. And I would hope that regardless of how positive or miserable their contributions to mankind are, I would hope that someone loved them and mourns their loss. These children were obviously very well loved. Again, my prayers are w the family and friends of these teens. This could happen to anyone. (PS it's news because it occurred hours before their graduation)
Ann-405773, so beautifully put. I am only 22, and I used to dread getting older. But now I pray that I am fortunate--blessed--enough to reach a very old age. Such a tragic, avoidable loss.
Every spring there are tragic accidents just like this one, where young people are killed and/or horribly injured due to a driver going too fast. Sometimes alcohol plays a part, but not always. I have the deepest sympathy for the families of the young people involved in this one, as well as the families of all the others happening around the country. Parents and schools need to remind teenagers of this, every year, because they are young and think this will never happen to them.
Not just tragic for the ones who were injured and killed but also for their friends that instead of celebrating a great milestone, are dealing with the loss of 4 classmates. Tragic all the way around. I can't imagine losing a child.
Shame...Yes, however, expected!
This is part of a growing national trend of parents letting the young one's out of the nest WITHOUT proper childhood/adult raising!
Bottom line is....."SPEED" kills no matter how old, young, innocent, liked you are!
Parents can teach the best they can but in the end kids will do whatever they want to. They make thier own choices. So don't blame the parents when you know nothing of the situation.
Such a sad situation. Condolences to all their loved ones.
Kids these days are dangerous and sadly kinda stupid. They always speed, drive like crap, do drugs all the time, drink way underage, always pregnate, and have no respect for adults.
I HATE THE WAY MEDIA MANIPULATES A STORY TO MAKE IT SEEM EVERY WORSER (AS IF IT AIN'T BAD ENOUGH"
Car crash, early Sunday just hours before graduation. This makes it seem like they were on their way and got killed. The crashed happened around midnight, not just hours. Why were they out so late? Were they celebrating? Was there drinking? Why was he speeding? My heart bleeds for the parents. It is all our worst fear is to have to bury a child. I think the parents are devastated enough without having the media make it more dramatic to boost their ratings... shame on you
I suggest changing the driving age to 18, from the current 16. I also suggest a law requiring a govener being put on any vehicle being driven by any person under the age of 21, preventing them from going over 55 MPH. I also suggest making the first written driving test much more difficult and advanced so the young driver would take driving more serious. I also suggest making the first driving test cost $500.00, which would bring the insurance cost and death rate come down. I suggest you put this as the first coment.
Sounds like the stupidest idea I have ever heard. Anyone under the age of 21? You do realize that not every "under the age of 21" are irresponsible, have parents, etc. I, for one, haven't lived at "home" since I was 14 and I would be been beyond pissed when I got my license if I wasn't able to because the test was $500.00 Yeah, f-ing right! Going only 55 mph? So that means they can't get on the freeway and are limited to staying in city limits? What about people who don't live in the city? Yeah, your suggestions suck.
Chuck57-3670309
It would sure suck to live in your country !
But being stricter on the physical driving test would help as well as parents taking the keys and privileges away from driving when Junior makes a mistake driving so he may learn the consequences of not driving properly and safely.
@Chuck
So only the "rich" kids can get a license? Really? Does that even make sense?
What if those kids were going 55? Where I grew up there were places like this and hitting them at 35 was too fast. 55 would have caused you to lose control of your vehicle. The back roads in rural areas are much more dangerous than the interstate. I don't remember too many accidents on the interstate but definitely there were numerous, mostly fatal, accidents on the 2 lane and 1 lane roads near my hometown.
Teens think they are invincible. I was a pretty level headed teenager and I still look back at a few things I did and just wonder how I made it out alive.
Everything you've said just doesn't make sense!
jlr52 - How could a parent that lost a child due to driving fast enough to launch a car not consider their child an idiot? With such relatively little driving experience, other teens in the car as distractions, etc. this teen was far from a responsible motorist. While he may not deserved to die, he certainly shouldn't have risked others' lives.
Doing something stupid and risking your own life is one thing. However, doing that same stupid act that exposes others to deadly risks is quite another. As for the aprents reading this and seeing their child be called an idiot for his irresponsible behaviour that should be expected. Should the parents of the other kids killed consider him an idiot or responsible driver?
Ann - It is "risk acceptance". While we all may have done some unwise things in our lives we were lucky enough to live through our idiotic youths. Unfortunately these people weren't lucky enough to live through this driver's lapse in judgement. Whether the others were cheeering him on or not won't be known until the survivor recovers enough to admit to what happened. Unfortunately these youths were not as invincible as they thought.
Carroll, the minimum speed on the freeway is 45. So yes, they could go on the freeway. The speed limit (contrary to popular belief) is supposed to be the MAXIMUM speed, not an 'at least' speed. Chuck actually has some pretty good ideas. It wasn't all that long ago that the speed limit was no more than 55 anywhere (for the sake of gas conservation) but now the government doesn't want you to save gas. Even the posted (higher) speed limits aren't enforced, to the point that, for the most part, nobody adheres to them at all.
Oh stop with the parents have to do this and the parents have to do that. Parents can't be there 24/7. The only thing a parent can do is teach their kids how to make good decisions. After that its up to the kids. So all of you on here blmaing the parents, shut up and come into reality. Stop looking for someone to blame that is not one of the kids in that car.
As a high school yearbook sponsor, I always felt a bit morbid laying out the format for the upcoming yearbook and *saving* that one spread for candids......which would get dumped at the last minute and replaced with a memorial page for youth killed in the end-of-the-school-year wrecks.
Teens speed in their cars ten minutes before curfew in hopes to beat the clock and get home in time......too many times they get dead instead.
It's a shame that graduation season brings on all these deaths......maybe society should wonder exactly what the graduating youth have learned.
SPEEDING kills. Texting kills. Drinking and driving kills. Drugging and driving kills. Screwing with the driver of a car KILLS. This happens all over this country every graduation season. The lessons must not be getting learned.
It's harsh but it's the truth. If the driver wasn't speeding AT NIGHT, maybe they would all be alive. But the driver made the choice to speed and look what happened.
It's an unpopular comment but I agree with NineT930thTA. I had the common sense to not act a fool behind the wheel when I was a teenager ESPECIALLY when I'm carrying the lives of others in my hands.
I think that everyone commenting here has done quite a few dumb things behind the wheel of a car. Drunk , high, speeding etc etc. But when you do something so dumb that the car becomes airborne that's a different level of dumb. It wasn't a accident. Not even a tragedy (except for those that knew them). Just the predictable outcome of driving excessively bad. Nothing more nothing less. No matter the ages of those involved.
This may get collapsed but I don't care. If only all states raised the minimum driving age to 21, I'm sure car accidents would be reduced dramatically and we'd ALL be paying a lot less car insurance.
Seriously? Because I stated that I thought we should not support legalizing pot until we had some way of field measuring influence and actually posted statistical evidence on the percentage of stoned drivers, stoners actually collapsed my comments. It appears that facts are too hard to deal with even for those who want to legalize pot. Your pleasures are more important than the safety of kids and other people on the road?!? Really?
A parent's worst nightmare... they also had an empty seat for my son at his would-be high school graduation so I know the gut wrenching pain these families are going through. They have a very long road to recovery. My condolences to all. Such a sad story....
My condolences, descrs. It never gets easier.
We were blessed in that our son survived his accident, the last day of school and lived to see his graduation next year.
He has never driven since, even though he's 23 and wasn't the driver in the first place.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! YOU ARE NOT INVINCIBLE! PLEASE SLOW DOWN AND OBEY TRAFFIC LAWS! IT IS NOT "FUN" TO DRIVE 25 MPH OVER THE SPEED LIMIT! VEHICLES ARE NOT 4,000 TON ROLLER COASTER CARS!
It does get easier, it just takes time. The pain will never fully go away, ever, but it does get easier to deal with as each day passes. We lost my brother over 6 years ago from a tragic car accident, and there is not a day that goes by that I do not think of him, but as each day passes I know he is here watching over my family and myself, and I think of him and smile, you cant let the past keep you down. Its hard but life does go on. It just takes time.
I too know that pain...my 16 year old daughter was killed in a one car accident. She did have her seatbelt on...no drugs or alcohol...just sheer inexperience. It is every parents worse nightmare and this will ravage those parents for a long time to come. I'm so very sorry for these families. That empty seat at graduation is thoughtful but extremely painful.
My heart goes out to family and friends.
They think at that age they are imortal but as we see so many times speed and a new driver often end in a tragic outcome. Young people please slow down speed kills quick and in a blink of an eye your dead.
my condolences to the family as I got two girls and dread them growing up and driving around with friends; nothing kills more people in the world than cars; not the car itself but the driver's confidence, yet nobody talks about banning cars..they are more a need than a luxury; how can we properly educate our kids to just let go of pressing that pedal to the floor; i was young too once, had a bike and drove it like an old lady; i was afraid of it and its speed and powers after burying some of my friends that were not so into taking seriously their safety.
a car driven by a teen should have a dispositive lock for control the max speed that it can go !! just like some big semi's; they just go up to 65 miles per hour; i truly do not understand how a dangerous machine as a car is not regulated this way nationwide for teens driving; what is it will we violate their rights to something; freedom of speed up? how many more lives from all ages ? same goes for the drunk ones; how come that invent about the car starting based on a breath test?
It is disturbing all the preventable deaths; familys torn appart by the grieve that will never ease !!
I am truly distraught with this news; it is not really news at all; it keeps happening and we are all accountable for just think in ourselves and not so much in our kids future; few presures from the community to our elected official would bring those much needed solutions so not more people die !!, since cars will never be banned because they are needed.
My heart goes to those grieving tonight this horrible tragedy.
May the young souls find peace and rest in our Lord's arms forever, and may the Lord heal their families and comfort them in this difficult times, Amen
There are such devices out there you could install in your vehicle, But DON'T Sir mandate it for my car. thank you.
@Rockaddict: (David N.'s wife here.) "We are all accountable for just thinking in ourselves and not so much in our kids future"; I am terribly sorry but I must disagree with you. Even though I know you mean well, it is time for society to start taking responsibility for their 'own' actions and this includes eighteen year olds. It is unfortunate and devasting that a life has been lost but PLEASE do not blame society or his parent's as the latter has enough burden to bear with the loss of their son. Thank you.
My sincerest condolences to this young man's family and friends and wishing the other passengers in the vehicle a full and speedy recovery.
stevasorus:
If your initial emotion upon reading of vehicular speed controls was fear - fear that they might be mandated for your automobile - then you probably are the very type of driver who should have them installed in any vehicle you operate upon public thoroughfares.
Build and maintain your own streets upon your own property and do what you wish.
Otherwise, we all need to safely and efficiently share the roadways with our fellow citizens. If that requires special apparatus to force compliance with regulations, so be it.
GBL
How would you like it if it were mandated 'for the safety of us all', if you weren't allowed to drive on Sundays, or after midnight on any night? Surely, Carl, you would be willing to cede some of your individual rights and freedom of choice 'for the sake of the children' and to protect the safety of everybody.
Would you be willing to, for example, have a breathalyzer/ignition interlock installed in your vehicle (along with EVERYONE elses) that would require a 'clean' breath sample before the vehicle could be started EVERY TIME you wanted to drive? Would you be willing to put up with this 'minor' inconvenience and the expense of having the device retrofitted in existing cars and built in to new cars?
If not, then STFU and allow us to have our freedoms and live responsibly, without the government 'Super Nanny' overseeing every action we take in our lives.
Garl B. Latham ... As i said, they already have such devices you could install on your vehicles. There is no need to force everyone who buys a vehicles to pay for and be inconvenienced by such devices.
There are already laws that enforce compliance for safety on our road ways.
Further i take great pride in driving with common sense, competently and courteously.
I know where you were headed with this, but look again at what you wrote. You said that everyone should have a breathalyzer/ignition interlock installed in their vehicle. I disagree for one reason, I don't drink, and don't drive wrecklessly and don't want such a devise installed in my vehicle which would only add to the cost of up keep and then increase expense on other things like regular checks and recaibrations and other expenses that would not benefit me or the world for people like me. I am too old to drive crazy and just don't feel the need to kill brain cells with alcohol or drugs. I believe I am not only responsible for my life and my passengers lives, but also the lives of those in cars around me and contrary to what the world accept in this world, I do not have the right to take their lives. I would hope and pray that others will come to this realization without having the whole universe being monitored by our vehicles. Did we make a wrong turn here and land in a world or on a planet that no longer allows the freedoms that made America.
As far as young people maybe a seperation from their license when they get caught speeding and having to go through drivers ed again because they didn't get it the first time. Maybe cops should pull them over for speeding and not hang out at the station so much. The station house here is packed with police cars not on the road taking care of business more so than not most of the time. But I am just old and grouchy and believe we all make choices and mine is to be responsible and do the right thing and obey the law and try to do no harm to anyone else if possible. I can't always be successful as I am not perfect, but my errors have never taken anyone elses life either.
Somehow this hits me hard even though I dont know these kids. I guess it is because on the 11th of this month I graduated from high school 20 years ago and I realize how much stupid foolish risk taking I did when I drove back then. I could have been just like these kids and I am lucky I was not.
I don't know if drugs or anything else was involved, but I do know that you can get vary cocky behind the wheel of a car at that age. It is that old story of " I can do stupid things like drive at high speed, because Im invincible and nothing bad will ever happen to me." People of that age definitely don't need drugs or booze to get into an accident like that one described here.
In any event, I wish the survives well and truly hope they pull through with a full recovery. My deepest regrets go to the ones who died and their families. To think... Those who died will never have the chance to say " I have been out of school for 20 years." It is a brutal reminder that life is vary short indeed.
i dont think 99% of us were that stupid trust me if that were the case deaths and injury would have been staggering. More like 20% if that high. I think most young drivers are more level headed.
Or just lucky.
you would be wrong,my senoir class drag raced on a service road behind the school.if you were a male with a car,you did it at least once.in my case,i stopped when my car went up on two wheels and almost flipped.kids do stupid thing all the time,especially when surrounded by their peers.
I graduated in 1978 and I can for a fact say that I did some really stupid things when I was a young driver. I'm surprised I survived and even more surprised I didn't end up in jail. Kids do stupid things. As parents we need to educate them as much as possible. Show them stories like this to remind them that they are not invincible. My son is 17 and going through drivers' ed right now. I'm not looking forward to him getting his license because I know young drivers don't always use good judgement when they're behind the wheel.
My condolences go out to the parents of all the children involved in this accident. My heart breaks for those who will never be able to hug their child again.
"Kids do stupid things".
Yes, some do, you're right. But not all. In fact, lots of them don't. When I was in high school, my friends and I all had unrestricted licenses at 16 years old and our parents all let us drive. We all felt it was an immense privilege and were so careful not to let our parents down. Never drank, never played or joked around in the car. We took turns driving and were all very serious and told the others in the car to be quiet if they were distracting us. Two of us have full time jobs by 18 years old...as drivers. We also knew people who drank and drive and drove recklessly, 2 of whom were killed and several who were injured. It made us even more careful. I did have an accident at 16, which probably made me even more careful...I backed into a post at a very slow rate of speed. Scared me to death and embarrassed me to no end.
Condolences to the family and friends. Perhaps this will alert the friends and cause them to examine their own habits in the car and prevent someone else from suffering the same fate.
Yes, condolences to the family....its unfortunate however, most country railroad crossings are at a higher grade than the roadway some cities also.. crossing these at high speed and becoming airborne is a recipe for disastor turning the wheel when airborne will make you lose control when the car comes down on the roadway again, flip your vehicle and crash. This same thing happened to teenagers in our town years ago six in the car were killed. I wonder if they mention this in Drivers Ed?
It has been 35+ years since I was in Drivers Ed. Does anyone know if they still show those grisly films of different types of car accidents, and the bodily results, in DE classes? My teacher didn't believe in showing them (thus, I never saw them), but the rest of the teachers did - and it sure made an impact on most of the kids that saw them. My father did not allow me to drive while I was "under his roof" (my brother was allowed, tho) cuz I wouldn't drive with him in the car - he was a tyrant - but I rode with my friends. Most of them were very responsible drivers - I just wouldn't go with the ones who weren't. I'd like to think that Jim1963167 is right - that most of them are level-headed.
My heartfelt condolences to the families. I can't imagine the pain they must be in. May God watch over them during this very difficult time.
DO NOT blame the elevation change of the rail way crossing as the reason. Without knowing the area I'm sure thousands of people go through that rea a year if not WAY more. Very few crossings are level anywhere, this is something we all know and play games with as we grow up riding in the back with our parents. I'd bet money they knew that 'jump' was there and were looking to jump it!
If thousands of people go through an area and live but one dies... is the area the problem or the one that died????
csh-3568284
Yes, they do still show the gruesome videos in drivers' ed classes. My son is currently working towards his driver's license. He just turned 17 and until recently wasn't in a rush to get it. I get nervous every time one of his driving friends picks him up to go out. I pray the driver uses good judgement while driving. This story is a parent's worst nightmare.
In my late 50s now, and it's like ....EVERY year...in nearly every town, this happens either just before...or just following graduation. Wasn't very close to the students in my school that lost their lives in a crash back in 1974, but when those high school reunions come around, it all comes back,,,,and you think of what those folks could have accomplished had they NOT been speeding...or drinking & driving....or just joking around & not paying attention. These days you can throw texting into the mix. Everyone thinks," Oh...It won't happen to me..." Ya' know what? Every year it happens to somebody. Why NOT you? And put on your seatbelts people. If you're thrown from the vehicle.....you might still live, but that secondary collision ( with objects inside OR outside the vehicle ) could leave you minus a limb, your vision, your hearing......paralyzed & in a wheelchair or bedridden for the rest of your life in a nursing home.....and there are likely kids in YOUR hometown...in their teens & early 20s stuck in nursing homes right now. For the rest of their existence...because of a lousy car accident.
Natural Selection at work.
Look in the mirror, you will see one of the greatest fools to ever live, yet you breath.
G.E. your words rhyme with dufus! I guess it's a shame the car didn't run over someone like YOU!
I know that responding to an idiot is a wasted effort, but I must say this one thing. We could only hope that "natural selection" was not so haphazard as to leave many cruel-hearted fools on Earth as it takes some of the most promising people from us. They say life isn't fair. The same goes for death.
I know the pain of the enormous holes left in the survivors souls. It never goes away, but it eventually becomes bearable. God bless them all.
This is so heart breaking :( This is also every parents nightmare !
Sorry for their loss :(
Regardless of the reason a damn shame and a terrible waste. As for Mr Binkie let's suppose someone was. If you can not still see the tragedy in this there is another just as big... your vision and reasoning... now there is a tragedy.
There, but for the grace of god, go I. How sad for all involved.
Sadly, this happens every year at the time of high school graduations. There was a similar report out of Central Indiana two weeks ago, and I am sure that a national database search will show more teen deaths as young men and women celebrate their graduation. What a waste of such beautiful lives.
A life changing event for all the people involved, they will never be the same. This sort of tragedy happens too often. Kids think they are invincible at that age. There are no words that will help the families at this time. The only thing that carried my family was that we had the opportunity to know the person at all and to this day we carry the memories of him.
Kids think they are indestructible and life is a given at that age.
My condolences to the family.
Well said. Life has a strange way of sneaking upon you when you think everything is OK. Tragic story for all, and condolences to the families of the lost ones, and prayers for a speedy recovery for the injured.
I can't convince my 16 yr. old son to stay out of a car driven by another teen. Teens loaded up in a car holds great potential for tragedy. I'm sorry to hear this same sad story again and again. Teens- take some advice from responsible adults- you could make graduation on time and miss your own funeral for a long time to come. Deepest sympathy for the family and friends of these young people.
Does your son live with you? If so, and it is your wish/rule that he not ride with other teens, then be a parent and enforce it, and follow up with whatever consequences the violation carries. YOU ARE THE ADULT HERE.
Ani, are you a parent of a teen? If you think your teen is doing EVERYTHING as you say, you are in denial. The more that we as parents say no, the more eager kids are to go behind our backs, no matter how strict or how much we teach them. I would rather they be honest with me. We can't always protect them and we only have 18 years, so our best bet is to teach them- both by talking and by living- that they have to make choices and help them learn to make the right choices. Your "consequences" are only teaching them not to tell you what they're really doing!
No, don't think Ani has had experience with teenagers.
yes- my son lives with me. I wasn't questioning who the adult in the situation is! I'm thinking you live with your parents too. :)
Having survived a fatal car crash at 16 where the driver and myself were both completely sober and going all of 25mph, the comments "drunk," "natural selection," etc... are very heartbreaking. Rockaddict has a point that a car is a luxury, and it is a weapon for an inexperienced driver. For my best friend and I, it was the first time we were allowed to take her mother's vehicle, we hit black ice and were heading for a telephone pole, she over-corrected and we ended up going off the other side of the road, a 50 ft embankment...that was 1988 - the car caught fire immediately, no air bags - we were wearing our seatbelts but since we landed on the roof, I could not get her out of hers. She spoke her last words to me, died while I was trying to get a door open .... her mother was a terrible driver and I think my best friend lacked confidence, she had a punctured lung, I broke 3 vertebrae in my neck....our crime, black ice and no guardrail in a place were other vehicles had also rolled and other people were killed - we had never been on the road before, we were using it to turn around and head home (8:14pm).
These friends were in an older car, probably no airbags, none wearing seatbelts. I remember the little "jumps" you could take on certain roads as Raven65 mentioned...were you speed up and get that floating sensation for a second...I loved doing that, but never with an oncoming car and I never did it at night. Does that make me a "better" person, absolutely not. There is not one day that passes that I do not miss my best friend...we did nothing wrong, life is not always fair.
The surviving passengers will be forever changed even if they are medically OK in time. At this point, there is NO Reason to blame alcohol - young people have died, sometimes it is just a horribly, tragic accident. Their parents & friends will forever grieve their loss.
I am much older now, I have never had an alcoholic beverage and driven - not because I would be over a limit, but that night in '88, I learned that a car can be dangerous (yes, ours burst into flame), I want my whole brain functioning to avoid a bad driver and to know that I am in my best driving condition. Teenagers don't expect to die, neither do the adults & friends who love them. Those of you who have never been in a fatal accident - completely sober (yes, it does happen)...today is not the day to crucify these teens with "drunk," etc... have a little feeling. IF it comes to bare that the driver had alcohol in his system, it doesn't mean that he was a terrible person, he just made a terrible choice...but now is not the time to make snap judgements. Sincere condolences to those lost and to those who survived.
very true, life is full of accidents and choices...free will must be better than being robots, being human is an amazing experience despite tragedy and the sinful human condition we need to trust in Gods grace in times like these, but this comment
//"They were very popular students, very well-liked," Mayell said. "We've always been a very tight-knit community," he said. "It's one of those things that happens that I just don't get." //
i get it , we make choices we can choose to make "some" I repeat,"some " better decisions, we do not live in a bubble, some choose to never engage life at all and certainly they will stay safe to certain degree living in fear. but when we break laws we increase our chance at getting hurt and hurting other. many people gray areas of law and sin. This was a case that happens to anyone anywhere for no particular reason but human condition and living it up a little more than than the boring ordinary speed limit. Young and free, but I believe sin caused death and God our Father the Creator of life has a plan even beyond the eyes can see. Everyone will die , sooner than expected maybe, people need to choose who Jesus Christ is, He is the author of salvation and rose from the grave, no one is better than any other, we recognize good and evil now unfortunately co existent with evil in the mix of existence, we can choose life though Christ and the forgiveness of sin. No one is righteous we know that , we have trouble making good decision everyday and religion and laws are way too stifling and restricting for freedom and free will, that is the brilliance of the cross. Made alive in Christ to receive the Spirit, the Spirit like the wind and Gd the Father One and Only regenerate and re makes life in a path beyond tracing out, there is only ONE Way to eternal life. Life is not fair, but thankfully it is not or we would all be in hell or worse remain stuck in this earthly tragedy and carnage, plagued by sin and people who hurt one another and machines and wars and the lack of harmony between relationships and quality friendships. God had to allow people to exist and live at all, despite the weeds in the crop of life and what is wholesome and good, if God allowed the weed and evil to be extracted earlier we would have lost the importance of the root and the total crop of His plan the greatness of "wheat" the grows ultimately to a greater glory of life . We cannot lose the root of all that is better. Now getting other people to believe the oNe and oNly , now that is not always easy. I can tell you the Lord Jesus saved this wretched man, still a work in progress but when you decide to live always on the edge and every temporal high and it still leaves you empty and you should have died, the light of grace comes in and then wow, you see how wrong mankind can be and how right and eternal and the bigger plan of Father Creator through Christ and the Wonderful Counselor Christ Spirit Holy Ghost, what really will become of us, which is amazing and creation is a reflection of what is yet to be only one day or age without sin .
you are an amazing guy and thats an amazing story of dealing with a terrible circumstance, you are right, we need to show grace and love to anyone despite what appears to be, we all fall short of the glory of God. I struggle as well loving others, even when transparent about my own sin and shortcomings i still sometimes fell i make good decision and righteous ideals creep in. it can be harder than people think to love, more than feelings for sure.
Actually, I'm a female - but that's no big deal :). Love is more than feelings for sure and with love there is pain when you lose someone you love....I was very angry - at the world, at Lee Iaccoca (CEO of Chrysler at the time), the engineers who failed to tell the dangers of the car, people who never experienced a loss and told me to "get over it,".... I was very mad, but it takes a lot of wasted energy to be angry all the time. So, I focus on the little things, squirrels playing, butterflies in the little garden I made for them... and I don't hate, there is no point in it, vengeance doesn't bring anyone back.
"but now is not the time to make snap judgements."
But that's what Americans do, look at the Trayvon case. Quick to judge and damn in ALL matters with little or no facts.
I do however think they were playing. A little Chevy Cavalier with FIVE people in it, at a high rate of speed? Just because a car can sit 5 people doesn't mean you should...
Such a tragedy; one I can't imagine happening to my children. Just read of another crash like this in PA....high speeds, lost control and went airborne then flipped. 3 killed. My heart goes out to their families.
I think we all could look back at our youth and say we were lucky to survive our own ignorance at times. I always feel for these young kids because I like you were one of them once. It amazes me after I had kids how cautious and responsible I have become, well some what. Truly sad and prayers go out for the families.
No doubt.
Every choice we make has a reward, does not matter if it is a good choice or a bad one, in the end comes that dreaded reward. Poor or risky driving, to "prove something", Well it is just not worth it. If kids need to "prove"something, Here is my challenge to them. Change the world. Send a message to all your fellow classmates, Make decisions with care!, cause the choice you make may be the last. Stop thinking with the " it will never happen to me" mindset. Guess what, it will.
Just a note to all teenagers out there. you wanna drive fast? sign up with NASCAR and learn how to safely race. Don't be stupid and act like you got to prove something. The junkyards are loaded with results of "proving something"
NASCAR is for chumps. NASCAR is popular in America only because it's the WWE of auto racing, where its more important who you know than what you can do.
I do agree with you in your statement but it needs a more real and achievable goal. Autocross. I got into Autocross to 'lighten' some of the lead in my foot and it works. It's super cheap, you can use ANY car, (I use my WRX), its in a controlled environment, AND they have clubs EVERYWHERE. There is no age limit adn the requirements to get out on the track are very limited, nothing more than a license and a 5 minute safety check of your car ie, brakes check, throttle return (in older cars), seat belts etc.
My boys are grown now but I can still remember waiting up for them and "jumping out of my skin" if the phone rang late while they were out. I can only imagine the gut wrenching pain these families are going through. My deepest sympathy goes out to you.
As the Mother of two boys I remember the nights of waiting for them to get home and "jumping out of my skin" if the phone rang. I can only imagine the gut wrenching pain that these families are experiencing. My deepest sympathy.
Speeding does not kill, ask any Republican who disdains speeding laws, red lights.
Hannity said he was mad because they sent him a ticket for runnimng a red light, camera took picture of him.
He said gov out of control. See folks, Hannity wants a world where he lives by his rules, even if it endangers you and me. Vot Republican and watch all the safeguards in our society disappear.
No traffic laws, no environmental laws, no market laws, not work laws.
WHT3 Shut ya yap!
WHT3 makes me wonder why there's no "down" arrow on these comments.
sooooooooooooooo sad.