Chronicling the ghosts of someone's tragedy: Teens and others who have lost their lives due to car accidents during the 2009-2010 school year.
Wednesday
Thursday, September 3, 2009
MICHIGAN: An Okemos water polo team captain died early Friday morning after a Thursday night accident. The Lansing State Journal says 17-year-old Adam Nevells was leaving the high school when he pulled his car out in front of an oncoming pickup truck late Thursday. He had returned to school with a friend to pick up a car that had been left behind.
Friends have set up a memorial Facebook page here. And the local news station covered the aftermath of the accident as well:
MISSOURI: According to this story, a 16-year-old Fort Zumwalt High School student died and another was injured in a night-time crash. Elise Sunderhuse, a passenger in the car, was pronounced dead at the scene and the driver, 16-year-old Courtney Miener, was rushed to the hospital in serious condition. Courtney lost control on Route DD at Ridgefield Farms, overcorrected, causing the car to skid across the highway. The right side of the car struck a brick subdivision sign before coming to a stop.
UPDATE: Friends have created a Facebook page to solicit letters in an attempt to convince the state to fix problems along Route DD.
Also, I believe this may be Elise dancing with a friend. Very cute.
NEBRASKA:An 18-year-old girl was killed in a car accident that police say was likely caused by drug and alcohol consumption. Amy J. Stone was driving southbound on Highway 83 around 10:50 p.m. when the car left the west side of the highway and rolled. Amy was ejected from the car. Two passengers, 19-year-old Shannon Funn and 19-year-old Kyle Rollenhagen, were seriously injured. No one was wearing seatbelts.
IOWA: A 16-year-old girl from Tiffen died in a single-car accident caused by a 15-year-old driver. Alyssa Benedict died at the scene of the accident, after the driver lost control of the car on the highway. The van entered the median, rolled, and came to rest on its top in the southbound lanes, according to this story in the WCF Courier. The driver, 15-year-old Rachel Stewart, and a 16-year-old passenger were taken to the hospital.
UPATE: According to Alyssa's obituary listed here, she was a bright, spirited girl who planned to join the Peace Corps and to become a veterinarian for exotic animals. "Alyssa had a zest for life that affected everyone. She was creative, artistic, love photography and excelled at writing."
This site may seem a little shocking and gory, and for any family members who found this site by accident, I am sorry for your loss and hope this site does not add any pain to your grieving.
With this site, I am attempting to chronicle teen driving fatalities for one school year to demonstrate to parents and teens the risks associated with driving. I believe teen driving fatalities can be prevented, and that we can change the way people look at this issue much like we changed the way society looked at smoking: It's gone from an acceptable behavior to one that is largely shunned.
I don't mean we should stop teens from driving -- no one can get better at something if they can't practice. But if teens are aware of the behaviors that lead to fatalities, they may begin policing themselves. Telling their friends who are texting or speeding to stop it or slow down. Or calling home and asking mom or dad to come pick them up instead of taking that planned ride home, because they're feeling unsafe.
Driving is the number one cause of death for people aged 16 to 20. In 2008, 4,497 16- to 20-year-olds died in car accidents, accounting for 12% of all auto fatalities.
I hope this site gets people to think, and to talk. Please feel free to post comments, or send along pictures or links to online memorials. I will try to keep the site as PG rated as I can, given the nature of the topic.
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