Berthoud High Teens Killed In Car Crash
Alcohol Suspected In Accident That Injured Two Others
POSTED: 5:07 p.m. MDT May 12, 2003
BERTHOUD, Colo. -- A grinding head-on collision left two Berthoud High School students dead and another in critical condition Monday.
A 44-year-old Loveland woman who was in the vehicle that was hit was listed treated at a local hospital and released.
Colorado State Patrol investigators said that alcohol is suspected as a cause in the crash.
Investigators said that the three high school students were in a Ford Ranger pickup, traveling eastbound on Colorado 56, west of Berthoud, at about 11:15 a.m. when it swerved off the road. The pickup struck two mailboxes and an embankment of a private driveway on the right side of the road, then crossed into the oncoming lane, hitting a Dodge Ram pickup head-on.
The 16-year-old student who was driving the Ford Ranger was not identified, but was listed in critical condition following the crash.
Robert Hamann, 16, of Berthoud was the front seat passenger in the Ford Ranger. He was transported to Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colo., with massive head injuries. He died during surgery Monday afternoon. A rear seat passenger in the Ford Ranger, Todd Peeples, 15, of Berthoud, was pronounced dead on scene from massive head injuries.
The teens were well liked and popular. Hamann was on the wrestling team and Peeples played football, the school said.
The state patrol said that all three people in the Ford Ranger weren't wearing seat belts.
Patricia Cowell, of Loveland, Colo., was in the other pickup and was also unrestrained during the crash. She was rushed to Longmont United Hospital with a fractured foot and ankle.
The teen driver of the Ford Ranger wasn't identified because the State Patrol said he could face charges of vehicular homicide as a juvenile.
Investigators said they found open and half-empty alcoholic containers at the scene.
On Monday night, some of their friends gathered for a make-shift memorial at the crash site, spray-painting a section of the highway to remember the teens.
Crisis counselors wer at Berthoud High school to help classmates cope with the loss of their friends.
Berthoud High School Principal Leonard Sherman said the boys who
died in the crash were well known.
"We're trying to operate business as usual as much as we can,"
Sherman said. "There are a lot of very emotional, upset kids."
The school held a memorial Tuesday morning for Peeples, a
freshman, and Hamann, a sophomore.
Friends of the boys said the crash happened after an off-campus
lunch where several students were drinking beer.
"They were just goofing around, trying to act macho," said
Whitney Kiehn, 16, who was at the lunch.
The senior prom is this Saturday and graduation is on May 24.
Colorado State Patrol investigators said that alcohol is suspected as a cause in the crash.
Investigators said that the three high school students were in a Ford Ranger pickup, traveling eastbound on Colorado 56, west of Berthoud, at about 11:15 a.m. when it swerved off the road. The pickup struck two mailboxes and an embankment of a private driveway on the right side of the road, then crossed into the oncoming lane, hitting a Dodge Ram pickup head-on.
The 16-year-old student who was driving the Ford Ranger was not identified, but was listed in critical condition following the crash.
Robert Hamann, 16, of Berthoud was the front seat passenger in the Ford Ranger. He was transported to Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colo., with massive head injuries. He died during surgery Monday afternoon. A rear seat passenger in the Ford Ranger, Todd Peeples, 15, of Berthoud, was pronounced dead on scene from massive head injuries.
The teens were well liked and popular. Hamann was on the wrestling team and Peeples played football, the school said.
The state patrol said that all three people in the Ford Ranger weren't wearing seat belts.
Patricia Cowell, of Loveland, Colo., was in the other pickup and was also unrestrained during the crash. She was rushed to Longmont United Hospital with a fractured foot and ankle.
The teen driver of the Ford Ranger wasn't identified because the State Patrol said he could face charges of vehicular homicide as a juvenile.
Investigators said they found open and half-empty alcoholic containers at the scene.
On Monday night, some of their friends gathered for a make-shift memorial at the crash site, spray-painting a section of the highway to remember the teens.
Crisis counselors wer at Berthoud High school to help classmates cope with the loss of their friends.
Berthoud High School Principal Leonard Sherman said the boys who
died in the crash were well known.
"We're trying to operate business as usual as much as we can,"
Sherman said. "There are a lot of very emotional, upset kids."
The school held a memorial Tuesday morning for Peeples, a
freshman, and Hamann, a sophomore.
Friends of the boys said the crash happened after an off-campus
lunch where several students were drinking beer.
"They were just goofing around, trying to act macho," said
Whitney Kiehn, 16, who was at the lunch.
The senior prom is this Saturday and graduation is on May 24.
Copyright 2003 by TheDenverChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
