Dec 13, 2007 10:33 pm US/Central
School Reviews Policies After Teen Dies In Wreck
Parents Pray Second Student Survives Coma
MANSFIELD (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
One Legacy High School student is dead and four others injured after a car crash in Mansfield.
The accident happened in front of Worley Middle School just before noon Wednesday.
Police say speed may have been a factor because it had not started raining yet. The girls were going back to school from a fast food run during their lunch hour.
The students, all girls, were traveling on Pleasant Ridge Drive when the driver lost control of the car, slid through a front yard and slammed into a tree. The driver's side door was smashed in.
The injured students were taken to three different local hospitals. Lasharon Powell, who was sitting the back seat, died at Mansfield Methodist Hospital.
"As soon as I got the news, I was holding my breath to find out who it was," said Ashley Watson, a friend of all five of the students. "It doesn't matter what age you are, it's still going to be hard to find out something like that. They were all close to me."
The 17-year-old was a junior at Legacy High School.
"I mean when everybody breakdown, she was there for you," said classmate Brandon Carmona. He continued, she was "always a good person… as close as you can get to perfect."
Jernisha Smith was rushed to John Peter Smith hospital after the wreck. She suffered multiple broken bones and was still in a coma on Thursday night.
Her father is asking others for intensive prayer.
"We just ask that anybody, whether you know her or not, she's 15-years-old and she can use all the prayers she can get," said Jerry Smith, Jernisha's father.
Thursday, counselors were available for students at the school.
Friends and family gathered at Lasharon's house to support her family. Her father, Everett Powell, had a message for the crash survivors.
"We don't want them to feel guilt about this. We're overjoyed that they made it, and they're going to be okay," he said. "We want them to hurt until it's time to stop hurting and go on with their lives."
School officials say they do not allow students to leave campus for lunch. They will be reviewing security policies to prevent people from leaving in the future.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Comments