Butler County crash kills 2 young adults and seriously injures teenager
Investigators say it appears DUI was a factor in the Butler County crash that killed a 19-year-old woman and her 22-year-old boyfriend and injured her 17-year-old sister.
Investigators say Nevaeh Schweinsberg and Skyler Gray were killed in the crash on Freeport Road around 10 p.m. on Saturday. Schweinsberg's sister, Alysha Zurzolo, survived but remains hospitalized.
Investigators say Gray was driving on Freeport Road near Headland Road in Summit Township when he went off the road, overturned and hit a tree.
Memorial grows at crash site
A memorial at the crash site is growing by the hour, with flowers, candles and handwritten messages left behind for the young lives lost in the crash. Throughout the day, friends and classmates gathered, wiping away tears, comforting each other and trying to process the sudden loss.
And as this community struggles to process the heartbreak, many are rallying around a family mourning one child while another remains hospitalized, fighting to recover.
Prayer vigil to be held Monday
On Monday evening, the community is gathering to support the victims' families and pray for healing. The prayer vigil was organized by a local pastor who says she works with the girls' stepfather and wanted to do something to help both the family and the community during this unimaginable time.
"I just wanted to give people an opportunity to come together and hug and cry and share," said Pastor Cindy Parker with Walk in Faith Ministries.
The pastor says as a mother herself, she cannot imagine the pain this family is going through right now. She knows the family will need overwhelming support in the days and weeks ahead.
"It's going to be really important for them over the next couple of months," Parker said. "They have a funeral coming up, work is going to be missed for time off to be spent at the hospital and the recovery time that they're gonna need for their youngest daughter."
And while investigators continue piecing together exactly what led up to the crash, many say Monday night is about remembering two young lives lost far too soon and praying for recovery and healing for everyone impacted.
