Pastor's Son Killed in Crash on Way to Bible Study, Two Friends Injured
A Florida pastor and his family are reeling in grief after their teenage son, who was also a star high school Cross Country runner, was killed in a car crash Wednesday night while on his way to Bible study with friends.
Police told ABC Action News that the teenager, Jaret Harshman, 15, was killed and his two friends injured in a two-car collision in Brooksville on Wednesday evening.
A Highway Patrol accident report says the three boys were traveling north on Culbreath Road in a Chevy Aveo around 6:15 p.m. when they failed to stop for a stop sign at Powell Road. Their Aveo collided with a Dodge Ram truck that was traveling west on Powell.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Harshman, who lived in Wesley Chapel, was taken to Bayonet Point Hospital where he was pronounced dead. His two friends, Michael Miller, 17, and Ryan Scott Miller, 18, also from Wesley Chapel, were taken to Bayonet Point Hospital where they were treated for injuries. All three attended Brooksville Christian Church, where Jaret's father, Mike Harshman is a pastor.
The driver of the truck, Christopher Reed Russell, 25, of Spring Hill, was not injured.
Pastor Harshman told WFLA that it was supposed to be a routine Wednesday. Jaret and his friends had decided to stop at McDonald's to get something to eat before meeting his father at Bible study at Brooksville Christian Church.
"So, it was any ordinary night," Harshman explained. "Three boys went out to McDonald's and said, 'Okay, we'll meet you up there.' Well, they left a little bit earlier, so I was about 20 minutes behind them."
Shortly after they left home, however, Harshman said he got a call he described as every parent's worst nightmare. His son's best friend was hysterical on the line but managed to explain to him that there had been an accident and it wasn't looking good for Jaret.
When the grieving father got to the scene of the accident, he said, the only thing he saw was a wrecked car on the side of the highway. His son had already been airlifted to the hospital.
"This is your worst nightmare. You don't think anything like this would happen," he said in a FOX 13 report. "They had already taken our son and one of the other boys was there and you can tell it was bad."
He and his wife, Kristi Schwartz Harshman, who is a graphic designer with The Tampa Bay Times, rushed to the hospital and discovered their son had died.
"I had to go in and then identify him and, it was so rough, he was in such bad shape, I didn't recognize him. They showed me his clothes. He had a mole on his chin. That was the one mark I knew it was him," said Harshman.
He said he then gathered his family and prayed over his oldest son's body.
"We huddled the kids around and then we all had prayer. It was just so hard, what do you pray for? Do you pray for him to get well? There's a reality you have to face. So, I think it was, from the time he got there, two hours later, there's nothing they can do," he explained.
According to WFLA, Jaret chose to be an organ donor when he got his permit and his parents are happy that his death will mean life for others.
"He will live on," said Harshman. "This was an accident. We know that. We love those other two boys like our own. An accident can happen to anyone. They were wearing their seatbelts."
In a post on her Facebook page Friday morning, Jaret's mother said even though the family was in pain, she was proud her son chose to be an organ donor.
"The pain of losing our son has hit us like a freight train today. Earlier this morning, Jaret Harshman's heart, lungs, pancreas and kidneys were removed, donating them for others. This was a choice that he made while in the process of getting his drivers permit. By the removal of his organs, this all feels even more final, as his body was taken off the machine which, until this time, kept him warm and oxygenated in order to preserve his organs," she said.
"We are thankful to give this gift to others who have been waiting for a match. We might be able to correspond with these people down the road or even meet them. Hoping that through our son, prayers have been answered for those in need of a life-saving transplant," she added.
Jaret would have turned 16 on Dec. 28. A tribute will be held Friday evening for the departed teenager at Wesley Chapel High School where he was a sophomore.
