Dead And Crippled Teenagers

Two stories in the Post today:

Joining in Grief for a Boy 'Impossible Not to Like'

Montgomery Teen Killed in Crash Is Recalled With Sorrow, Smiles

"We bury Ryan this morning," the Rev. Daniel Francis, a relative of Ryan's, told about 1,700 people. "But we do not put in the coffin his smile. That's ours."

In the crowd were at least two teenagers, one in a wheelchair, who were with Ryan on Monday night when their Volvo station wagon veered off a road after they left a weekly Christian youth group meeting.

Ryan, 15, was remembered as a gregarious charmer and accomplished motocross rider who had recently committed himself deeply to his faith.

"I could never get Ryan to shut up," said the Rev. Ray Scheck, Ryan's minister, drawing laughs and nods. "And the problem was that he had that wonderful smile, and he would say he was going to stop, but it actually meant nothing. . . . It was impossible not to like him."

By 10:15 a.m., 45 minutes before the funeral started, hundreds of mourners had taken their seats at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Damascus. Up front, Ryan's blue coffin was topped by a bouquet of red flowers. Lining the walls was a chain made of paper loops that bore messages written by other students -- notes directly to Ryan and condolences to his family.

...

They clutched programs that revealed some of last words Ryan wrote on his MySpace page: "I love going out and having fun with people, and living life for all it will give me . . . and treating it like it's my last."

...

In the crowd was Kirstin Newport, 15, and Christopher Nicholson, 17. Nicholson sat in a wheelchair, black bruises under his eyes. The driver, Zachary Kimble, who also was injured, has been released from the hospital.

...

The Volvo they were in veered off the road about 9 p.m. Monday as they drove from a Young Life meeting to a Burger King. Bobby Patton, who had hosted the meeting at his home, was in a nearby car and rushed to their rescue, pulling some of the teens from the burning wagon.

"We have eternity," Patton said yesterday, bandages visible on his right hand, "and that outweighs all of the suffering."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/24/AR2008102403608.html?sid=ST2008102403675&s_pos=

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/21/AR2008102100482.html

Drunk Driver Gets 3 Years in Friend's Death

A 22-year-old Fairfax County man who gunned his mother's BMW over a hill, went airborne and struck a tree in a drunken-driving crash last year, killing one passenger and putting another in a vegetative state, was sentenced yesterday to three years in prison.

...

It was just after 8:30 p.m. when Plaisier, with Cooke in the front passenger seat and Fath and another young man in the back, turned off Route 123 and onto Wolf Run Shoals. Cooke's eldest brother, Kevin Cooke, said Plaisier accelerated the car over a hill at Suburban Place, known to drivers as a place to "catch air," lost control of the car, went airborne and struck the tree seven feet off the ground.

Cooke lived for five days and underwent multiple surgeries before she died Dec. 3. Fath suffered severe brain trauma, spent six months in the hospital and is now in a long-term-care nursing home in Alexandria.

...

Kevin Cooke read a list of "likes and dislikes" that Morgan had written. "I love ketchup with eggs," she wrote. "I miss being a kid. I wear footy pajamas. I hate fake girls. I always back into cars, but I swear I'm a good driver. I'm obsessed with shoes. I always have to match. I hate being told what to do. I love being in love."

...

Daniel Fath also had multiple surgeries, said his mother, Brenda Fath. Now he lies curled in a fetal position in a nursing home. "His eyes are open, he can move a little, but technically, he's non-responsive," she said. "Sometimes he appears to be there, sometimes he doesn't."

There's no telling whether Fath will recover, his mother said. He was a sports junkie, die-hard Redskins fan, "loyal, smart, good-looking," Brenda Fath said. She suggested that Roush sentence Plaisier to spend time taking care of her son.

...

"We are sentenced to a life of perpetual sadness and grief without Morgan," said her father, Fred Cooke. "Simply and sadly stated, I wanted to be with Morgan. She was my only daughter, my youngest child and truly a daddy's girl."

Kay Cooke, Morgan's mother, looked at the judge and said: "It's madness, that these children are just dying on the roads. What will it take to stop this?"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/24/AR2008102402002.html

How sad. As a mother of two girls, this just breaks my heart. If I didn't trust in the Lord, they would never leave my side.

God Bless these kids and their families.

Very sad. I can't imagine the pain for the poor families involved

That's a very sad story. Prayers and good thoughts to that family. What I don't understand is how do you only get 3 years in jail for basically taking two peoples lives.

Kind of a - uh - weird title? Anyway....

Can anyone explain:

Although state sentencing guidelines suggested a top sentence of six months

What exactly does that mean? Hell, even the 3 years the guy got seems like too little.

I'd rather teach my kids responsibility than all the math, reading, or writing in the world...

I lived on Wolf Run Shoals for a year, while our house, a few miles away, was being built.

The intersection of 123, Wolf Run Shoals, and (Clifton rd?) used to be called "Butts corners" (for reasons I never found out). (I understand that the road's been rerouted, and things are quite a bit different, now.)

Both I and one of my brothers totaled cars near there. No injuries, and neither of us were drunk. (Just stupid.)

You can't protect your kids 24x7, no matter what you do. You just have to teach them the best you can, make sure they understand the meaning of actions and consequences, and pray they stay safe. This is every parent's worst nightmare, happening over and over. What a horrible loss for all the families.

Part of me thinks 3 years is too little, and part of me thinks living with the guilt of killing and crippling his friends will be punishment enough.

Really sad as one killed and another paralyzed for life.

Praying for families suffering through this.

Four more teenaged girls dead as of last night, taking one adult with them...

http://news.aol.com/article/cheerleaders-killed-in-fiery-crash/225600?icid=100214839x1211843317x1200754213

Absolutely awful. Reading through these stories makes me cry. This is just heartbreaking; no parent should have to go through laying their child to rest. I wouldn't wish that upon my worst enemy.

This strikes a bit close to home with me as I was very involved with Young Life as a teenager in high school; I participated in quite a few mission trips with this organization into Mexico. While I am deeply saddened by all children who's lives are cut short, I am consoled somewhat by the fact that they new God before they were taken from our Earth. May God be with their familes during this trying time.

Teens here don't get killed in car crashes very often anymore ...they get shot or killed by their caretakers/step parents/parents...There have been 4 teens killed in this area over the last month...a 12y/o(killed by her stepfather), a 14y/o(shot by a friend while visiting their home..not sure of the details..not released by the police yet), a 15y/o(shot in the chest while playing in the park..caught in "gang crossfire"), a 17y/o(hit by a car while walking down the street w/friends...hit & run driver has yet to be found).

It's a pain that never goes away.

Ahhhh ... this story hits close to home for me. I was a passenger in a car accident where two people perished - the driver and the front passenger.

I guess that I'll just start posting random thoughts regarding this since it's the only way for me to get things out.

1. Kids believe that nothing will happen to them. Parents need to teach their children that there are consequences to every action.

2. I feel incredibly sorry for the driver of the car in the first story. He wasn't drinking, he wasn't going crazy, but now one of his friends is lost forever and others are hurt.

3. The kid is going to most likely have extreme guilt. I lived, two of my friends died. I couldn't understand why and it devastated me beyond anyone's understanding.

4. The second story where the kid was clearly drunk and gunned his momma's BMW ... I'm torn. I think that three years in jail is a very short sentence, but I know that he'll be haunted with guilt. And the children's parents could file suit against the driver and his parents ....

5. I think that the most effective way to get your children to realize that accidents can happen and the results of those accidents is shock treatment. Kids NEED to see crumbled up cars, blood, the gory stuff for it to be effective.

6. Teach your kids to speak up if they are a passenger in a car with friends. If the driver is speeding, tell your child that it is ok to tell the driver to slow down. If your child feels unsafe, tell them that it's ok to get out of the car and to call parents and that you'll come get them.