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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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When I look back at all the stupid and dangerous things we did in cars when I was a teenager growing up in the 1960's, it amazes me most of us weren't killed. Seatbelts? Who needs 'em? Speed limit? What's that prove? Reckless driving? Hey, it's a thrill! And yes, some of my contemporaries drank and drove and we all thought that was cool, even if we would never do so ourselves. One of the big goals when one first got a car was to go out on a long stretch of remote highway at night and try to "bury the needle". That often broke the speedometer.
I was a passenger on a motorcycle on I-80 when the driver thought it would be cool to wind it all the way out, and we were doing 125 before we decided it was getting a little scary, and slowed down. If anything had gone sour at that point, we would have both been road pizza, and helmets wouldn't have helped at all. We were young, invincible, full of bravado, lacked common sense, and thought that no matter how stupid or crazy we got, nothing bad would come of it. After seeing a few friends seriously hurt in car or cycle wrecks, it started to sink in on some of us that maybe a lot of this was a bad idea. But it took quite a while to get to that conclusion.
I don't know the circumstances of this accident, other than what was reported, and I would bet speed was a factor, but who knows what, if anything, else. It's sad to see others die or be ruinously injured for life doing the same sort of thing that we did way back when, without a second thought. About the only good that might come out of this is that maybe, just maybe, some of their friends and fellow students might take a lesson from this, and not take the same needless risks. However, from my experience, it's almost hard-wired in the teenagers' brains to make these foolish decisions, and if they survive, some of them find the thrill of cheating death almost irresistible. You can't cheat death forever, and it's sad stories like this that highlight that. My condolences to all the families involved.
Time and again, it is proved that a group of teens out driving (especially at night) is literally an accident waiting to happen. So what is the answer? More driver training? No licenses below XX years old? Quit honoring those who kill themselves? Some of all these? No answers here - just sad that children are not taught that there are real consequences to stupid actions.
It has nothing to do with not being taught about consequences. Teens' brains are not yet mature and actually aren't capable of processing the idea that the terrible consequences might apply to them. The human brain doesn't become fully mature until around the age of 25 (if then). Until then, kids will do stupid things. They may know that bad things can happen as a result, but they really don't understand what that means.
A similar thing happened to two kids in my high school class, although it was a year or two after graduation. Condolences to the families, and I hope the survivors make a full recovery.
I will need more information on this senseless tragedy, alcohol and or drugs, cell phones, rr tracks. party night before. just don't know at this moment, heart felt for everyone involved, RIP young people and please, please slow down and pay attention to whats going on around you,
what a waste...some day we will look back at the way we operated vehicles and wonder what we were thinking? Oh, I know...that we will never die and life goes on forever...just pray.
Kids this age think they're invinsible and do wreckless things like driving too fast with the limited knowledge of driving they have, and drinking thinking they're tough. They also don't wear seatbelts because it isn't "cool" to do so. I feel for the parents because no matter how many times you tell these teens to be careful and use good judgement they only think in the moment and sometimes there are dire consequences. What a tragedy. If it was my children, they might as well dig me a hole, too, because I wouldn't survive the heartache of it.
Sad for the families involved. I was that age once and did some pretty stupid things behind the wheel. I wised up after some close calls. These kids didn't get that chance but perhaps the survivors will. The car was a 2001 Chevy Cavalier so it would have been equipped with front airbags. Being a front wheel drive car, going airborne and landing on the front wheels makes for an easy loss of control for an inexperienced driver. Depending on how it landed and how hard, it is possible the front airbags deployed causing further distraction in maintaining control.
Like firearms, teenagers should be outlawed. They are just too dangerous.
Slightly different circumstances.. .same basic results. Here in California, I have heard similar circumstances more than once. One of my employees had a similar situation. His 16 year old daughter was elected from a vehicle travelling at high speed over railroad tracks about 2 am on a weeknight. (School night.) The keys to the tragedy were:
2 am
School night
16 year old
ejected
The police determined that no one was wearing a seatbelt.
The 19 year old driver was drunk
Most of the 4 passengers in the '97 Escort were also drunk.
The driver swerved around lowering gates to beat an oncoming train and lost control crashing into a tree at 65mph on a street with a 35mph limit.
The family was nonetheless devastated.However, the biggest problem was that 6 months later, the driver, who survived, was driving across a rail intersection that crossed the street at a 45 degree angle.
It was late at night, the young man just celebrated his 20th birthday
He was drunk
He had 2 girls in the car ages 17 and 15.
They were drunk
No one was wearing a seatbelt.
He was driving down a steep hill with railroad tracks at the bottom.
It was foggy and raining.
He lost control and plowed into a wall of a warehouse at 70 mph.
They only found parts of the body of one girl..
The police and firemen determined that when trapped, 2 of three occupants did not die from the impact, but burned to death when the gas tank ruptured.
One girl's neck was severed when the steering column collapsed as her head was down in the driver's lap.
Parents need to really tighten up on teenage drivers from 16 to 21.These tragedies are avoidable.
Dodger, assuming you were not being sarcastic/facetious, how would you propose to 'outlaw' teenagers without ending the human species through attrition?
As for firearms being "too dangerous", therefore should be outlawed, one could say the same thing about automobiles, tools such as hammers, kitchen knives, electricity or any of a host of things that are dangerous when they are misused. If you want to ban firearms completely, shouldn't government set the example and unilaterally disarm? I could consider giving up my rights under the Second Amendment if the government leads by example...
I am from the area, and this is just heartbreaking. My deepest condolences go out to the families and friends.
I also know the spot where the accident happened, and there are multiple accidents there every year, many with serious injuries and past fatalities, at all times of the day, and affecting drivers of every age. The residents have been concerned about it for years and have tried to get the problem fixed.
As a mother of teenagers, I know that kids think they are invincible. But lets remember, they are kids, and their lives were cut short. I can't imagine the pain that their friends and families are feeling.
What's really sad is that this is the town where I grew up and these children are/were very close with children of my own childhood friends. Its so easy to write a speculative comment saying these kids were drunk or whatnot and forget that these are someone's children. Even more so, I'm willing to bet the mom or dad may click on the comments thinking they are going to read condolences only to find comments that are calling their kids stupid, drunk, or the result of evolutionary processes.
We all make mistakes. I remember driving over that very railroad track. Its easy to forget its layout and it doesn't look as dangerous as it really is....especially at night. But I guess your driving record is perfect. You have met all social norms and met everyone's high expectations as an individual. I would be interested in buying your book of "How to be Perfect in Everyway."
I feel absolutely terrible for this community because it is a good community, with good kids.
I know that responding to an idiot (our collapsed friend) 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.
Being a mother that tragically lost her only child at age 28, I ask EVERYONE to keep your judgemental comments to yourself. These families have enough to deal with right now. NONE of you know any of the details......The media tells you only what they think will sell news papers or get you to watch their broadcast. My heart and prayers go out to all the families involved. May God hold them closer..........
All adults like to pretend that they were never teens once, but they were. I remember driving recklessly around my neighborhood a few times when I was in high school and it's only by the grace of God that I didn't hurt myself or others.
Life also gets to a point where no matter how well you were raised by your parents... you're still going to make bad decisions here and there. It breaks my heart that this one ended tragically. RIP
terrible , my heart is heavy after reading this. cannot imagine the pain for all those in the families and school.
I feel badly for the family and friends.
Reality is that the learning and maturing is through experience. Some of us survive, some don't or wish we hadn't, or wonder how in the heck we lived through it all.
There are laws for speed and wearing seat belts based on past experiences.
Death is as big a trauma as we all make it. It is part of life. It seems lately that we make it an issue that just was't years ago. There were no counselors called in, no flowers left at scenes of crimes, no memorals at the schools, no law suits, no fuss and no muss. It seems people are more focused on through their death, than through their life.
Here in the USA we go on and on through religion that life is ever lasting and so forth. Yet when people die we behave as if it is the end all.
I have experienced death throug a brother dying from a shooting at 30, a nephew and his best friend at 13 yr due to ATV accident, many family members and friends through disease. I just don't see death as others seem to. It is part of life. On the other hand I don't get it that the world stops becausse of birth. Do any of us really care to hear about stars birthing? Birth and death is all part of the deal. Possible we put more importance to what is to make it somehow make all us feel more significant to the big scheme of things than we are.
They say that you're born alone and that you die alone, but I would argue that you're more alone in-between those events than anything else.
First of all, there is no evidence that alcohol and drugs were involved. Wait for the toxicology tests before running off at the mouth. This tragedy is bad - we don't need your 2 worth to make it worse for their family, friends and school mates.
Secondly, I live in Medina County, and although I am not familiar with those tracks, I can tell you that most of the RR crossings in this county are in atrocious condition. Some have to be crossed at 20mph.
Third, it is not always speed. Years ago, my son, then 16, slowed to turn into our drive, hit an oil patch on our chip and seal road, hit the ditch, and cartwheeled the car. He was going less than 20, but being a new driver, we think he may have braked too hard. He survived, thanks to Cleveland Metro's Lifeflight and the excellent care and rehab services he received there.
Five teens in a car after midnight equals a failure in parenting. Its that simple.
The parents need to go on the road show and talk to other parents about how not to fail their children like they did. Review all the other times they were lucky and had no idea where or who their children were with at all hours of the night.
Smart parents won't even let their kids drive a car full of other teens. One passenger but never 3-4-5!
The libuturds will want to make this about seat belts or driver training or bad roads, or more government regulations but in reality this borders on child neglect by the parents not the failure of government.
Right now those parents are blaming themselves.... and well they should! Now go educate other parents!
Jello heads!
Wow that is just plain mean.
I was happy that my son drove a pick up. It limited the passengers. But come on. These were kids graduating not 2 year olds.
To blame the parents is just not called for.
Yes that's it......never accept responsibility! The new libturd mantra.... its always someone elses fault!
My bad student loans
My crummy house mortgage that I can't pay
My food stamps I deserve
My two years of unemployment...
My fat kids eating corn syrup all day!
Its Bush's fault!
Safety nets turning into virtual HAMMOCKS for half this country..
Of course its not the parents fault! Out at midnight, crummy car, reckless driving or more... car full of teens!
Jello heads!
Sloppy, as a parent of teenagers, I really resent your comments. We can lecture and remind and punish and model good behavior till the cows come home. But the fact is, a teenagers natural inclination toward the belief that they are invincible overrides everything else sometimes. They honestly believe it can't happen to them; until something like this happens. Unfortunately, I know this from personal experience. There was a single-car accident in our small community just a couple of weeks ago, in which a teenage girl--a close family friend--was killed. Broad daylight, no alcohol, no drugs, no nothing. It was just three teens in a car, and the driver over-corrected on a corner that he had taken too fast. Did he use poor judgment? Absolutely. Had his parents warned him repeatedly that something like this could happen? You bet. But did he do anything different than 1000 other teens on any given day? No. It's just that on that particular day, his poor judgment resulted in fatal consequences. Do not pass judgment on the parents in this situation, or in any situation like it. Like other parents of teens, we can only hope that the things we've tried to teach them have sunk in. So instead of condemning the parents, pray for them. Pray for everyone in that community and in that school, because you cannot imagine how deeply something like this affects an entire community.
Wrong OLY. Again failure to accept responsibility. Three teens in a car? BaD IDEA! At least two were texting and distracting the driver! Accident waiting to happen! Failure in parenting!
Sloppy Joe must not be a parent. Any real parent knows kids break the rules all the time. Even if the teens parents warned him 100 times about having others in the car or not driving and texting, etc. the chances of the teen doing it anyway and thinking he/she won't get caught are extremely high. I would say 99 out of 100 teens will do whatever they want to do when their parents can't see them.
But let's not beat up on Sloppy. Eventually all the childless people who end up having children understand this and laugh at themselves for thinking their child would be different. It's happened to us all. The only "perfect" parent is the one who isn't a parent yet.
The bottom line, sloppy, is that you know nothing about these kids or about these families. You have no clue the amount of times the parents may have lectured them on everything from speed to seatbelts to texting. Aside from installing monitoring devices in our vehicles or never letting our kids out of our sight, at some point we have no choice but to hope to God we've taught them well and warned them enough times to prevent something like this from happening. You have absolutely no right to blame the parents, you know nothing about them. Neither do I. But being the parent of teens myself, I have a pretty good idea of what they've tried to do to prevent a tragedy like this from occurring.
The kids who thought they knew it all..Until that tragic day...
The day I died was an ordinary school day.
How I wish I had taken the bus,
But I was too cool for the bus.
I remember how I wheedled the car out of Mom.
"Special favor, " I pleaded. "All the kids drive."
When the 2:50 bell rang, I threw all my books in the locker.
I was free until 8:50 tomorrow morning!
I ran to the parking lot, excited at the thought.
of driving a car and being my own boss.
Free!
It doesn't matter how it happened.
I was goofing-off, going too fast.
Taking crazy chances.
But I was enjoying my freedom and having fun!
The last thing I remember was passing an old lady,
who seemed to be going awfully slow.
I heard a deafening crash and I felt a terrible jolt.
Glass and steel flew everywhere!
My whole body seemed to be turning inside out.
I heard myself scream!
Suddenly I awakened; it was very quiet.
A police officer was standing over me.
Then I saw a doctor.
My body was mangled.
I was saturated in blood.
Pieces of glass were sticking out all over.
Strange that I couldn't feel anything.
Hey! Don't pull that sheet over my head!
I can't be dead!
I'm only 17!
I've got a date tonight!
I'm supposed to grow up and have a wonderful life.
I haven't lived yet.
I can't be dead!
Later I was placed in a drawer.
My parents had to identify me.
Why did they have to see me like this?
Why did I have to look at my Mom's eyes,
when she faced the most terrible ordeal of her life?
Dad suddenly looked like an old man.
He told the man in charge,
"Yes, he is my son."
The funeral was a weird experience.
I saw all my relatives and friends
walk toward the casket.
They passed by, one by one, and looked at me,
with the saddest eyes I've ever seen.
Some of my buddies were crying.
A few girls touched my hand
and sobbed as they walked away.
Please-Somebody-
Wake me up! Get me outta here!
I can't bear to see my Mom and Dad so broken up.
My Grandparents are so racked with grief,
they can hardly walk.
My brother and sisters are like zombies.
They move like robots, in a daze, everybody!
No one can believe this.
And I can't believe this either!
Please don't bury me!
I'm not dead!
I have a lot of living to do!
I want to laugh and run again!
I want to sing and dance!
Please don't put me in the ground!
I promise, if you'll give me just one more chance,
God, I'll be the most careful driver in the world.
All I want is one more chance.
Please, God, I'm only 17!"
Wow the hair is standing up on my arms. Thank you for that post.
Showing off to his friends in the car maybe?
Thankfully, those crazy drunkdriving racing speeding wild teenagers didn't kill anyone else on the road.
how awful. condolences to the family and friends. hope the two hospitalized recover from their injuries.
Population control
I hope and pray that I have it instilled into my daughter that a car is a dangerous tool. I was 17, senior year of high school and had an accident, still to this day I have issues. Nine back surgeries, and my girl has seen me go through a few and I let her know that this all happened at a speed of around 35 miles per hour according to the state highway patrol. My condolences go out to these families.
Dear
God,
Experiencing the loss of a loved one
is so shattering.
It’s so
difficult to greet each day when we experience loss.
focus of the wonderful memories shared.
Allow them
to have the encouragement of your angels whispering that their
loved ones are safe and happy with you.
Give them love and strength to carry on.
Amen
Parents don't like kids driving cars with V-8 engines because they might be too dangerous.
But they are also bigger.
While a Cavalier is just a 'slow' 4 cylinder car, it shares the same problems as any car in a crash, and in fact magnifies them.
Economical cars are built light to save fuel.
They can just barely kill you.