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Las Vegas High School students hold hands Friday morning around the light pole into which a car carrying five students crashed Thursday, killing one and critically injuring three others. Students prayed for 16-year-old Ashley Troester, the driver of the vehicle, who was breathing only with the aid of life-support machines. Photo by Amy Beth Bennett. Fellow students of the crash victims light candles and write their names and personal messages for the injured students Friday night at the crash site on East Sahara Avenue near Sloan Lane. Some teens used black markers to scrawl personal messages to Natasha Keeter, who was killed. Photo by Craig L. Moran. From left, Las Vegas High School students Crystal Jimenez, Stephanie Abernathy and Serene Lindsay embrace near a roadside memorial built at the scene of a Thursday crash that killed one student and critically injured three others. Photo by Amy Beth Bennett. Ashley Biersach Back-seat passenger, 16, leg amputated, critical condition Natasha Keeter Front-seat passenger, 17, died Thursday Kiley Quinn Back-seat passenger, 15, critical condition Ashley Troester Driver, 16, on life-support machines Aleisa Valdez Back-seat passenger, 15, fair condition RELATED STORIES: Father recalls 'bad feeling' upon seeing car ENFORCEMENT: Campus rules discussed

Saturday, May 11, 2002
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

STUDENT TRAGEDY: Crash site draws mourners

Students, families gather to pray, share their grief

In the morning hours and late at night, mourners were drawn Friday to the site of a crash that claimed one young life and left three others critically injured.

In the morning, Las Vegas High School students held hands and prayed around the East Sahara Avenue light pole into which a speeding car carrying five of their schoolmates crashed Thursday.

At night, 300 to 400 youths and adults gathered in the median around the light pole.

Authorities were forced to close the two lanes of Sahara closest to the median as hundreds wept, hugged, prayed and clutched burning candles.

At the center of the throng was the family of 17-year-old Natasha Keeter, who lost her life in the accident.

"People really loved her," said Keeter's grandmother, Patty Larez. "To see all these kids out here is really, really amazing."

Keeter died about 11:20 a.m. Thursday when her friend, Ashley Troester, lost control of the Ford Thunderbird she was driving and careened into the metal light pole.

Police confirmed Friday that Troester, 16, did not have a driver's license. Detective Doug Nutton said police have thoroughly researched Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles records and are confident she also did not possess a learner's permit.

The crash west of Sloan Lane severely injured the four survivors, but Troester suffered the most life-threatening injuries. She was breathing late Friday only with the aid of life-support machinery, and hospital officials listed her in "extremely" critical condition.

The three students who had to be extricated from the car's backseat, 16-year-old Ashley Biersach and 15-year-olds Kiley Quinn and Aleisa Valdez, also remained hospitalized late Friday at University Medical Center.

Biersach, whose leg was amputated Thursday, and Quinn were in critical condition in the hospital's pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Valdez was listed in fair condition.

Police said the girls were driving back to campus after lunch at a nearby Burger King. The Thunderbird was traveling about 60 mph in a 45 mph zone when Troester lost control along a curvy stretch of road, police said.

The vehicle skidded more than 200 feet before striking the pole and shearing into two pieces.

Troester's friends wept before classes Friday morning as they gathered at the crash site about one mile from the school. They created a makeshift memorial with flowers and shared an impossible dream.

"I want to go to school and see Ashley and Natasha there," junior Stephanie Abernathy said in a breaking voice.

Students said Keeter would have graduated in about two weeks.

"All Natasha wanted to do was graduate. She worked so hard to get there. She was a couple of credits short, but she made them up," sophomore Nicole Vodnik said.

As those around her spoke of how hard it would be for Troester to deal with what happened, Vodnik cut them off with the reminder that her friend had yet to regain consciousness.

"She doesn't even know what happened," Vodnik said, choking back tears as she was gathered into the arms of her friends. "She doesn't even know about Natasha."

Police had not yet interviewed Troester's father, David, to ask why the girl was driving.

"We feel he has enough to deal with right now," Sgt. Curt Albert said. "We'll let the parents of the girls make sure their daughters are all right first."

If Troester was driving illegally and her father was aware of it, both she and her father will face misdemeanor citations, police said.

"It appears he pretty much gave her the green light to use the family car," Nutton said.

David Troester probably will be cited with a misdemeanor count of allowing an unlicensed driver to operate a vehicle, Nutton said. His daughter faces a misdemeanor count of driving without a license. Efforts to reach David Troester were unsuccessful.

Albert said authorities do not plan to pursue felony reckless driving charges against Troester. To do so, police need to show three elements of carelessness that establish a wanton disregard for human life.

"In this case, we have speed, and that's about it," Albert said. "She didn't run stop signs. She didn't unsafely change lanes. I think a lot of Thursday's accident had to do with inexperience, and that's a tragedy. It's incredibly sad."

At Las Vegas High School, Principal Barry Gunderson said district crisis counselors have been available to students since shortly after the accident. Students also were making banners with personal messages for the injured students.

"It's affected everybody," Gunderson said. "Everybody's helping each other to get through it."

Hundreds of people returned to the crash site Friday night, with scores of their cars lining both sides of Sahara.

One man in a service industry truck slowed his vehicle and passed a single pink rose out of his window to one of the young mourners.

About 30 teens used black markers to scrawl personal messages to Keeter on the pavement near the light pole.

Most of the youths stood in silence and stared at the ever-growing memorial of candles, balloons, cards and stuffed animals. Several teens' voices joined together to sing a hymn.

"Maybe all these young people will learn something from this," said Keeter's aunt, Gladys Rhodes. "These kids seem to think they're invincible."