Thursday, November 04, 1999
Students mourn crash victim
Lemon Monroe junior killed; another hurt
BY SUE KIESEWETTER and MICHAEL D. CLARK The Cincinnati Enquirer
Enquirer Contributor and MICHAEL D. CLARK The Cincinnati Enquirer
MONROE — The roadway death of a high school cheerleader and critical injuries to a classmate left Lemon Monroe High School students and staff grieving Wednesday.
Nikki Muncy, a 17-year-old high school junior from Monroe, died Tuesday shortly after her car skidded into the path of a semi-tractor-trailer on a wet St. Clair Township road in Butler County.
According to Butler County sheriff officials, Nikki was driv ing east on Augspurger Road near Jackson Road about 2:30 p.m. when her car skidded left of center into the path of the truck.
Nikki, along with passenger and Lemon Monroe High School class mate John P. Smith of Hamilton, were taken by helicopter to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton.
Nikki died shortly after arrival and John, a senior, was in critical condition.
Two other Lemon Monroe students, Gregory Elam, of the 4500 block of Trenton-Oxford Road, and Terry Combs, of the 500 block of Augspurger Road, were passengers and were injured. They were taken to Fort Hamilton Hospital in Hamilton and released after treatment.
Grief counselors started working Tuesday evening and continued their assistance early Wednesday before high school classes began to assist those emotionally distraught over the accident.
“A lot of kids were walking around stunned, like zombies,” said junior Lindsay Brotherton, who shares Nikki's Oct. 30 birthday and played on the same softball teams with her when they were younger.
“She was a real good friend,” said 15-year-old Heather Lawson, a member of the school's varsity softball team. Nikki was on the junior varsity team. “She always put a smile on people's faces.”
Many of the school's 172-member junior class, of which Nikki was a part, wore blue, gold and white ribbons in her honor Wednesday. Some talked with a team of counselors, clergy and others who came to the 900-pupil school. Others went to the Towne Boulevard Church of God, which opened to the teen-agers.
Students started gathering Tuesday evening, said Wayne Driscoll, superintendent of the Middletown/Monroe schools.
“A lot of kids found out early evening (Tuesday). The word spread quickly. A lot of people know the Muncys. The kids went to churches to talk. They're staying at each oth er's houses; they're trying to cope,” Mr. Driscoll said Wednesday.
“Our hearts and prayers go out to Nikki's family, relatives, friends, classmates and district employees who knew her. Our entire school district family is mourning the loss of Nikki.”
All four students in the crash also attended classes at the D. Russel Lee Career and Technology Center in Fairfield Township.
Harvey Poff, assistant principal at the center, said the accident and death “has hit us all pretty hard.”
“These are good students who are well thought of by everyone,” said Mr. Poff.
“Staff and students have taken it hard,” he said.
Nikki was a cheerleader and softball player at Lemon Monroe. She was taking classes in the Diversified Health Program at the career center.
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