Five Young Women Killed In Fiery Car Crash

SUV Collided Head-On With Truck; Victims Killed Days After Graduating From N.Y. High School

(CBS/AP)  A fiery head-on collision killed five women in a sport utility vehicle less than a week after they graduated from a high school in a Rochester suburb, the principal said Wednesday.

Their Chevrolet Trail Blazer had just passed a vehicle late Tuesday when it swerved back across the two-lane road into oncoming traffic and hit a tractor-trailer, the Ontario County Sheriff's Office said. Both vehicles caught fire.

The crash knocked down utility lines and cut phone service in the western half of Ontario County. The truck driver wasn't injured.

The victims were pronounced dead at the scene, deputies said.

Fairport High School Principal David Paddock said four of the women were members of the cheerleading squad — Bailey Goodman, Hannah Congdon, Meredith McClure and Sara Monnat — and he identified the fifth as Katie Shirley. All five graduated Thursday.

"It is with overwhelming sadness that I inform all of you that five of our children, all of whom just graduated from FHS last Thursday evening, lost their lives earlier tonight in a car accident," Paddock wrote in an e-mail sent to parents early Wednesday.

He said the victims had been heading to the Keuka Lake camp of a parent, and four friends were following in another car when the wreck occurred.

Ontario County Sheriff Philip Povero said Bailey was driving the SUV.

Keisha Koneski, one of the cheerleading teammates who was following in the second car, told the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle that it appeared Bailey had tried to pass a van that was driving slowly in the right lane.

After almost passing the van, she said, it appeared Bailey may have thought the van was swerving into her lane and she jerked back into the left lane, running head-on into the tractor-trailer.

“We saw the truck and we all started screaming," she said.

The crash happened shortly after 10 p.m. along a 55-mph stretch just before the crest of a slight rise on a two-lane road in the rural town of East Bloomfield, a western Finger Lakes community about 20 miles southeast of Rochester.

The SUV landed on the side of the road and partially under the charred rig, which was being removed from the scene late Wednesday morning. A nearby maple tree was scorched by flames.

Sheriff Povero said it was clear that the fierceness of the impact caused various fuel lines to rupture, causing both vehicles to ignite.

“The fire trapped the five girls in the SUV. They were unable to escape," Lt. Bill Gallagher of the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office told the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. "Both vehicles were engulfed. There was no chance for rescue," he said.

Dozens of students, teachers and parents, some hugging and weeping, gathered Wednesday morning on a hillside overlooking the school, located in an Erie Canal village of about 6,000, about 10 miles southeast of Rochester.

Marcus Merriman, an 18-year-old student who knew all the victims, described Hannah Congdon as "probably my best friend."

"She always had a perfect smile on her face. She said 'hi' to everyone in the halls. She was very caring and sympathetic," he said.

"Our hearts just explode and it just makes the grieving so hard because we build such a community for youth," said Debra Tandoi, a town official who works with young people in the schools. "We love them all."

[maliagoodman]

I'm Bailey Goodman's cousin and want to single out dude2007 for saying the following:


What an idiot, she only had a junior's driver license. She cost four people their lives, not to mention the truck driver a lot of pain


I may only be 15, but I know that that is a horribly cruel thing to say. And as for her having a junior license, that is false. It's not like she went out that night planning on doing what happened. They call it a 'car accident' for a reason. It's not Bailey's fault.

[mammaduke]

I LIVE HERE IN ROCHESTER WHERE THESE 5 BEAUTIFUL YOUNG LADIES ARE FROM & I WANT TO KNOW HOW YOU CAN BE SO MEAN & CRUEL TO THE FAMILIES , FRIENDS,& A WHOLE COMMUNITY WHO ARE MOURNING THE LOSS OF THERE LIVES. THIS WAS A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT NOT ONLY FOR THE VICTIMS, BUT ALL THE PEOPLE WHO WITNESSED THIS ACCIDENT, & THE DRIVER OF THE TRUCK.

[bobnjersey]

just some observations about the 'religion in driving' tangents:

- god 'needed' all five of these girls at the same time?

- there's a presumption that all of these girls 'had a relationship' with god ... and they are all now in heaven 'shining down' on us all.

- there's a similar presumption that god would choose to have the fate of all five be the same (ie. they're all worthy to be in heaven; and it happens quickly)

- somewhere in the linguistics of the postings there seems to be some sense of religious persecution ... referencing claims (of claims) that christians are bad drivers. it could be there ... but i didn't see it.

historically ... and likely for many in contemporary times ... religion has served as a 'means' that serves to fill in the unaswered (or unanswerable) aspects of life (ie. how did it all begin, why are you here, what's to follow, etc). tragedies like this are a great example of why people need religion ... rationality doesn't explain the 'why' ... or provide any comfort with what happens to these girls moving forward. a vacuum of belief or faith in these situations would leave one w/ nothing but hopelessness ... which isn't typcially the human response.

for example ... would the jews have been able to survive their forty years of desert wandering (a hopeless state of unknown-ness) following the exodus from egypt if they didn't have a strong faith in their god?

[teo.blu]

chrisbetz5
Your comments mean nothing and only a moron such as yourself would consider anyone that is religous a bad driver. What does that have to do with the tragic loss of life?
Posted by LMM23 at 10:57 PM : Jun 28, 2007

~~~

I avoid people who misspell "religous".
I avoid drivers with 'Jesus fish' bumper stickers for precisely the same reason.

Religious people do not believe in physics, which governs the dynamics of moving objects.
They believe that if they hit a telephone poll... or .."God forbid me", it is because "God wanted this to happen", not because they are incapable of rational decisions behind the wheel.
...or in any other circumstance for that matter.

It's a waste of time to try to explain to them that SUVs have high center of gravity which severely impacts their maneuverability at higher speeds.

Frankly, I wouldn't mind if God one day decided to take all the Christians and their middle east counterparts, the Muslims..a "little closer to him".

I only pray that Heaven is far enough so we wouldn't hear them singing.

[chrisbetz5]

lmm23...maybe you should read a bible to brush up on your theories;)

[chrisbetz5]

this story just came up on the news as i typed my last post,and i feel sorry for the girls driving in the other vehicle that witnessed this horrible accident take place....i pray that they are able to somehow put this behind them and live life without any future mental issues ....what a horrible thing to see,i wouldnt wish that on anyone:(

[lmm23]

chrisbetz5

Maybe you should become a detective with all your theories.

[chrisbetz5]

lmm23...
appherently you didnt bother to read any of my other posts....no shock there,a religeous fanatic closing his/her eyes to the whole story and picking out only the words,in this case,lmao,that suites them.
the comment made that was true is that religeous fanatics are incapable of rational thought....im sorry if the truth offends you,but that does seem to be the case in every argument you people are involved in.
another trate,1 in which i fell victim to by replying to you ,is for religeous fanatics to make everything about them.
this post is meant to discuss this very sad and tragic accident,yet you people seem to think god killed these poor girls.
very sad...

[lmm23]

chrisbetz5
Your comments mean nothing and only a moron such as yourself would consider anyone that is religous a bad driver. What does that have to do with the tragic loss of life?

[chrisbetz5]

LMM23...
im not laughing at the tragedy you moron,im laughing at what was said about you religeous fanatics driving....it was funny...and TRUE!
stop making this a religeous event and reckognize it for the tragedy it is....my heart goes out to the families involved...