The Star Beacon; Ashtabula, Ohio

Local News

November 14, 2009

Survivor says fatal Ore. van crash like ‘dream’

Geneva teen listed in serious condition

BAKER CITY, Ore. — Survivors of a van crash on an icy Oregon freeway that killed two young people from Colorado and left two others critically injured say they are trying to come to grips with their loss.

“I still keep waiting for this to be a dream,” Sarah DeVries, 18, told The Baker City Herald.

“I’m still waiting for Taune and Josh to walk through that door,” she said.

Joshua John Pischura, 20, and Taune Nicole Winter Pepper, 23, both died in the Thursday morning crash on Interstate 84 near Baker City.

They were among 16 young men and women from the New Life Worship Center in Federal Heights, Colo., traveling to Portland when their van slid on black ice and rolled several times, ejecting most of them.

Pischura, from Geneva died shortly after the accident while Pepper, from Deer Trail, Colo., died later Thursday at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, Idaho.

Listed in critical condition Friday at Saint Alphonsus were Aaron Stearling Werntz, 19, of Freeport, Ill., and Phillip Joel Harris, 24, from Attalla, Ala.

Lt. Gregg Hastings of the Oregon State Police said Friday it may be several weeks before investigators complete their report on the crash.

The van appeared to be at full capacity with 15 passengers and the driver, but the investigation must be completed to determine how many aboard were wearing seat belts, Hastings said.

The Colorado church group was headed to a business convention in Portland where they planned to work for 10 days to raise money to support their ministry in a Denver suburb.

“It was just routine for us — we travel all over the country to work these trade shows,” Nicole Byrd, 25, told the Baker City Herald.

Byrd was driving the van. She and the 15 passengers belong to the Rocky Mountain Masters Commission, a training program affiliated with the New Life Worship Center.

During the nine-month program, students learn about leadership skills and provide free programs for community youth, including dance, music and sports.

“All we do is love on them,” Byrd said. “It’s a community in need of people to love them. We came from our hometowns to make a difference in the lives of these kids and their families.”

By working at trade shows and conventions, the students earn enough money to cover the cost of the community programs, plus tuition and housing.

At St. Elizabeth Health Services in Baker City, where Byrd and six van passengers were treated and released Thursday, staff member Bob Borders called Nazarene Church pastor Jon Privett to get clothes from the Northeast Oregon Compassion Center.

The seven students — still traumatized from the accident — stayed with the Privetts, as did a nurse to help with bandages and medications. On Friday, everyone awakened to a fresh breakfast cooked by members of the community.

Three passengers were listed in serious condition Friday at Saint Alphonsus: Christine Sandra Aki, 18, of Golden, Colo.; Katherine Elizabeth Darlene Pischura, 18, from Geneva; and William Chris Rodgers, 22, of Lakewood, Colo.

Two passengers taken to Grande Ronde Hospital in La Grande, Ore., with non-life-threatening injuries were identified as Lavan Ahmad Sayed, 24, of Louisville, Colo., and Ashley Wenk, 18, whose hometown was not available.

The six passengers treated and released at St. Elizabeth Health Services hospital in Baker City were: DeVries, of Golden, Colo.; Marketa Larie Smith, 26, hometown not available; Brett James Iserman, 20, of Dakota, Ill.; Katherine Elizabeth Coppock, 19, of Cave Creek, Ariz.; Christian Wence, 19, of Ault, Colo.; and Javaar Zakori Howard, 18, of Denver.

Last May, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a summer travel season warning saying that research shows 15-passenger vans have a much higher rollover risk than other passenger vehicles, especially when fully loaded.

Text Only
Local News
  • mn friday suicide2.jpg Murder suspect kills self at mother’s grave

     Madison Township police officers found the body of a murder suspect in the Alexander Harper Cemetery on Thursday afternoon, ending a day-long, multi-county manhunt.

    February 10, 2012 2 Photos

  • cef friday brown press.jpg Presses stopped

    It was June 23, 1969.

    February 10, 2012 3 Photos

  • Airport takes off with a new name

     A new name for the Ashtabula County Airport is winding its way through the regulatory channels.

    February 10, 2012

  • Property owners must pay for meth labs in Jefferson

    An ordinance requiring landowners to pay for the clean-up costs of clandestine drug labs was unanimously adopted by Village Council.

    February 10, 2012

  • Elections board gets help with time-consuming tasks

     A Xenia company specializing in election services will take on some time-consuming tasks that should help contain the Ashtabula County Board of Elections’ labor costs, members said.

    February 10, 2012

  • Commissioners pay to get the business

    Commissioners on Tuesday approved a $15,000 contract with Growth Partnership for Ashtabula County to provide business service representation on behalf of the county’s One-Stop job training center.

    February 10, 2012

  • cef thursday spell bee winn.jpg Grand Valley sixth grader wins Ashtabula County Spelling Bee

    James Elliott, a sixth grader at Grand Valley Middle School, clinched his win of the 29th annual Ashtabula County Area V Spelling Bee by successfully spelling the words “physique” and “daffodil.”

    February 9, 2012 2 Photos

  • Sports, academics to come together

     SPIRE Institute will expand its educational base and accept international students into its sports performance programs through a partnership with the Andrews Osborne Academy, Ted Meekma, SPIRE management team member, announced Wednesday.

    February 9, 2012

  • Conneaut Chamber lauds top citizen, ‘Champions’

     Nicholas Iarocci, Conneaut’s 2011 Citizen of the Year, needed plenty of gulps of water to complete his acceptance speech Tuesday night.

    February 9, 2012

  • Felony charge filed in robbery

     An Ashtabula woman who police said grabbed a woman’s purse inside a Conneaut supermarket late Monday afternoon faces a felony charge in Conneaut Municipal Court, according to reports.

    February 9, 2012

Community Calendar
Loading…
Events by eviesays.com
House Ads
AP Video