Brunswick, Ohio Car Crash Leaves 4 Teens Dead Hours Before Graduation
'There Were A Lot of Tears,' Said Superintendent
A Brunswick, Ohio car crash left four teenagers dead after their car flipped at a railroad crossing during the grisly accident Sunday. Another teenager in the car was hospitalized.
The Brunswick, Ohio car crash was especially heartbreaking as the four teens- Kevin Fox, 18, Jeffrey Chaya, 18, Blake Bartchak, 17, and Lexi Poerner, 16- were due to graduate from Brunswick High School this past Sunday. The fifth student, Julia Romito, was also hurt, but is in stable condition in surgical intensive care, according to Southwest General Hospital.
The crash came at about midnight, when Chaya's 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier hit railroad tracks going at a high speed. He then lost control of the car, swerving left and right before hitting a tree and ditch, which flipped the car, according to Ohio State Highway Patrol reports. Fox was thrown from the car, but the others died in the accident.
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"It was very sad," Superintendent Michael Mitchell told MSNBC not long after the commencement ceremony at the University of Akron. "There were a lot of tears."
Only a day after the graduation of some 600 students, reports of Fox's death came Monday. While some of the students grieved and remembered the popular teens with flowers left on their empty seats Sunday, the terrible accident brought somber thoughts afresh one day later.
"We are grateful for the overwhelming support that the northeast Ohio community has given our family during this difficult time," Fox's family said in a statement.
In response, the school district has asked students to wear blue, the school colors, in remembrance of those lives lost. Students also were given the opportunity to opt out of final exams and have their third and final semester grades averaged.
"We want to allow the families to grieve in peace, and do whatever we can to get through this very tragic situation," Mayell said. "They were very popular students, very well-liked. We've always been a very tight-knit community."
The accident and it's tragic outcome is "one of those things that happens that I just don't get," said the superintendent.
