They were great friends who carpooled because they liked one another's company. The mall, the Christmas dance, sled-riding,
sporting events - they did it all together.
Tuesday, three classmates on their way to Roger Bacon High School died together when their skidding car smashed into an oncoming vehicle in Winton Place. A fourth classmate was seriously injured, along with the driver of the other car.
Killed were Greg Von Bargen, 16, of Stargate Lane, New Burlington; Sarah Garibay, 17, of Windmill Way, New Burlington; and Kyle Yearion, 15, of Resor Road, Fairfield. Seriously injured were Steven R. Von Bargen, 17, Greg's brother and driver of that car, and Donald Robinson, 37, of Union Township in Clermont County, driver of the other car.
Greg and Sarah died at the scene; Kyle died at University Hospital during surgery, Cincinnati Traffic Sgt. Bill Coombs said. Steven was in good condition at University Hospital on Tuesday night. Mr. Robinson was in intensive care at Good Samaritan Hospital.
The collision crushed the passenger side of the youngsters' car, leaving only the two drivers alive.
Neither car had air bags, and investigators weren't sure whether the teens were wearing seat belts, although they said belts wouldn't have saved them.
At Roger Bacon, shock and disbelief replaced camaraderie in hallways as the teens' friends and acquaintances grieved. Students learned of the loss at a special assembly called by the school's principal, the Rev. Roger Bosse, barely three hours after the 8 a.m. wreck.
''Father Roger said there was an accident,'' freshman Herman Green said. ''Everybody started crying.''
''It's a close-knit group,'' said St. Bernard Police Chief A. Rusche, as he stood outside the school. ''A lot of these kids have gone to school together for 10 years.''
The Catholic school - with about 875 students in grades 9-12 - is small enough that the deaths affected virtually everyone, Father Roger said.
All three victims were well-known
because of their involvement in school athletics - Sarah as a cheerleader, Greg as a soccer player and Kyle as a wrestler.
''These were three very popular kids,'' Father Roger said. ''Obviously not a whole lot in terms of classwork was accomplished (Tuesday). We considered canceling classes, but it was our feeling that the best place for the kids to be was here with each other.''
Administrators canceled exams scheduled for today and plan to hold a memorial service this morning.
The school's crisis team - administrators, guidance counselors and clergy - also is counseling grieving students.
Meanwhile, police still were trying to determine the accident's cause.
The students were 2 miles from school and five minutes from first bell when the car went into a skid, sliding sideways across the centerline of the straight, dry stretch of road, said Steve Edwards, a Cincinnati police officer and accident specialist.
In front of the ELDA Landfill, the teens' car collided with a northbound car driven by Mr. Robinson, of Century Court in Union Township.
Officer Edwards said the damage indicated at least one of the cars was exceeding the 35 mph speed limit.
Witnesses are urged to call the Cincinnati Police Division's traffic unit at 352-2514.
Throughout the day Tuesday, the victims' families dealt with a tragedy every parent dreads.
''It's just terrible,'' said Sarah's father, Michael Garibay, his voice breaking.
Mr. Garibay said his daughter was looking forward to a national cheerleading competition in a few weeks in Louisville. Sarah also loved to dance, and had taken lessons in jazz and other dance styles since kindergarten.
Her older siblings, Chrissy, 19, and Michael, 22, were Roger Bacon graduates, he said, and they liked to spoil their baby sister - and play pranks on her, too.
''She was a normal teen-ager who wanted to do normal teen-age things,'' Mr. Garibay said. ''She didn't like her homework, but she loved her school.''
Kyle Yearion was an athlete who loved basketball, wrestling, football and baseball, said his mother, Bev Yearion. He enjoyed pizza, Taco Bell and other ''teen-age food,'' she said.
Monday night was his first driver's education class.
''This isn't easy,'' Mrs. Yearion said, crying. ''I just can't believe this has happened.''
At the Von Bargen home, a friend who answered the phone said the family preferred not to talk about their sons.
