WALTON — The community reaction to a crash that claimed the life of a Lewis Cass High School student Friday morning was almost immediate.
“Word pretty much spread like wildfire,” said John Bevan, superintendent of Southeastern School Corp. “Ambulances and fire trucks went by the school at about five to eight and the kids knew something was going on.”
The wreck happened just before 8 a.m. on Cass County Road 200 East just south of County Road 800 South. The Cass County Sheriff’s Department reported that 17-year-old Jessika Catt was pronounced dead at the scene by Deputy Coroner Rod Zeck. She had been thrown from the wreckage.
Two other teenagers, 17-year-old Matthew Handy of Logansport and 16-year-old Alleigh Hall of Young America, were flown to Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne.
Bevan said he had heard second-hand reports that Handy and Hall were both conscious and able to talk. A Parkview Hospital administrator said they were treated and released.
Bevan said many residents heard about the accident on scanners.
“They picked up that it was an accident involving Lewis Cass students,” Bevan said. “And literally by 9 a.m. there were youth pastors, parents and other members of the clergy all in helping with grief counseling in addition to our own staff.”
He said he wasn’t entirely surprised by the way the community had come together.
“I have felt this is an outstanding, close-knit community for a long, long time,” he said.
Bevan said he assumed the students were on their way to school when the crash occurred, as the wreck occurred just minutes before school was scheduled to start.
Deputy Mike Shannon said when he arrived on the scene the vehicle was in surprisingly good condition.
“The vehicle was actually intact,” Shannon said. “The roll bars on the Jeep had done their job. The safety equipment inside the car had done its job, as well.”
Handy and Hall were both wearing seat belts at the time of the accident, Shannon said, but Catt was not. She was thrown from the wreckage.
The investigation showed that the 2000 Jeep Wrangler driven by Handy was northbound on 200 East when it went off the left side of the road. Investigators reported the driver tried to pull the vehicle back onto the roadway but overcorrected. The vehicle went across the roadway and struck a tree and a fence. Reports state the vehicle then rolled at least one time before landing on its passenger side.
Galveston marshals and first responders, Walton first responders, Logansport Fire Department, Cass County EMS and Cass County coroner’s office all assisted at the scene.
The investigation is ongoing.
“Our thoughts are always with the parents and other loved ones,” Bevan said. “We know there are some younger relatives at Galveston Elementary who are affected by this also.”
• Jennifer Tangeman is a reporter for the Pharos-Tribune. She can be reached at 574-732-5148 or jennifer.tangeman@pharostribune.com.
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