Morning Read 2: Death of 4 teenagers stuns Plattsburgh, Peru
The Plattsburgh Press-Republican has a sweeping line-up of stories this morning chronicling the heart-breaking accident that left four teenagers — including two exchange students from China and Vietnam — dead Tuesday night.
A vigil was held last night that drew hundreds in Plattsburgh, according to the newspaper, and the cause of the accident is now under investigation.
Authorities believe Brandon Rennert, 17, of Peru was driving the car that struck and killed two foreign students — Dat T. Ong, 17, of Vietnam and Chu Xiong, 18, of China — who were walking along Peasleeville Road just before 5 p.m.
The car then hit an earthen embankment several hundred feet away and exploded in flames. Rennert and his girlfriend, Samantha Donah, 17, of Plattsburgh, who was a passenger in the car, also died.
See the Press-Republican’s full coverage at their home page here.
Absolutely tragic.
My heart goes out to all the families involved.
I’ve heard of at least 6 foreign students hit and severely injured or killed while walking along the regions roads in the last year or two. Perhaps there needs to be an educational program to let foreign students know just how dangerous our roads are. It should be safe to walk along a roadside, but it isn’t; and there are ways to be safer. Wouldn’t hurt to educate the rest of us either.
There are roads I drive on that have many homes nearby and lots of kids walk along those roads at night with dark clothes, sometimes in the rain, walking on the wrong side, no sidewalks. I am terrified that I might hit someone someday.
Two Mongolian summer workers were hit and seriously injured in Lake George I believe it was last year.
I don’t want to place blame on the driver since we don’t know the facts of the incident. But it highlights just how dangerous it is in many parts of the North Country to actually get somewhere without a car. As someone who walks and bikes everywhere, I can attest to this first hand. My city is actually decent for those two activities but the second I cross the line into the big neighboring town, it’s a nightmare. Poor or no lighting, shoulders not even a foot wide, crappy or non-existent sidewalks…
Scottish or British students killed in Warrensburg by a drunk driver a couple of years ago. And then there was the 90 year old man in Greenwich hit by a sheriff’s deputy about a year ago…