olddawggreen
10-05-2006, 08:59 AM
Two Burnet students die in crash
By Chris Crews
Burnet High School and the entire Burnet community are once again in mourning as news of the loss of two more teens spread through the community over the weekend.
Daniel Torres, 17, was killed in a one-vehicle accident when the Hyundai he was driving northbound on RM 963 crossed the double yellow line, became airborne and landed on a tree.
Torres, along with passenger James Werner, were pronounced dead at the scene after emergency personnel arrived at the scene about 12:11 a.m. Saturday. Officials said speed was a contributing factor to the crash.
Torres was a student at Burnet High School and Werner was a May graduate of Quest High School, but had attended BHS. Both were Bertram area residents.
Texas Department of Public Safety officers said the vehicle was at least six feet off the ground before it came to rest in the tree.
The deaths bring to five the number of students and recent graduates killed in traffic accidents in the past five weeks.
Celia Ramirez and Joshua Merrick died in August when their SUV struck a dump truck on Highway 281. Andrew Ivacic, 18, was killed in a motorcycle crash the same day.
Burnet Consolidated Independent School District Superintendent Jeff Hanks said the scars from the grieving period for the first losses were about to heal when news arrived regarding the most recent deaths.
Hanks said grief counseling was available at BHS and the school district would continue to get the safety message to students. Hanks said the district was constantly looking for programs, like the "Every 15 Minutes" enactment around prom time, to increase awareness.
"I don't know the cause of the repeated incidents here, but we will continue to look for programs to deliver that message and I know our parents will continue to do the same," Hanks said.
Hanks said the closeness of the community and the fact that the students had passed through virtually every BCISD campus creates a somber atmosphere throughout the district.
"Five deaths in two months is very, very hard," the superintendent said.
By Chris Crews
Burnet High School and the entire Burnet community are once again in mourning as news of the loss of two more teens spread through the community over the weekend.
Daniel Torres, 17, was killed in a one-vehicle accident when the Hyundai he was driving northbound on RM 963 crossed the double yellow line, became airborne and landed on a tree.
Torres, along with passenger James Werner, were pronounced dead at the scene after emergency personnel arrived at the scene about 12:11 a.m. Saturday. Officials said speed was a contributing factor to the crash.
Torres was a student at Burnet High School and Werner was a May graduate of Quest High School, but had attended BHS. Both were Bertram area residents.
Texas Department of Public Safety officers said the vehicle was at least six feet off the ground before it came to rest in the tree.
The deaths bring to five the number of students and recent graduates killed in traffic accidents in the past five weeks.
Celia Ramirez and Joshua Merrick died in August when their SUV struck a dump truck on Highway 281. Andrew Ivacic, 18, was killed in a motorcycle crash the same day.
Burnet Consolidated Independent School District Superintendent Jeff Hanks said the scars from the grieving period for the first losses were about to heal when news arrived regarding the most recent deaths.
Hanks said grief counseling was available at BHS and the school district would continue to get the safety message to students. Hanks said the district was constantly looking for programs, like the "Every 15 Minutes" enactment around prom time, to increase awareness.
"I don't know the cause of the repeated incidents here, but we will continue to look for programs to deliver that message and I know our parents will continue to do the same," Hanks said.
Hanks said the closeness of the community and the fact that the students had passed through virtually every BCISD campus creates a somber atmosphere throughout the district.
"Five deaths in two months is very, very hard," the superintendent said.