Friday, November 26, 1999
'Ramping' blamed for fatal crash
'Slow down,' dead teen's dad implores
BY SARA BENNETT and DANA DiFILIPPO
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Victim's friends stand next to the utility pole struck by the students' car after it crested the hill.
(Ernest Coleman photo)
| ZOOM |
|
TURTLECREEK TOWNSHIP — John Walker spent part of Thanksgiving Day at the roadside where his son, Jordan, died Wednesday, trying to understand how the Mason High School sophomore had launched his red Mustang off a hill and crashed into a utility pole.
“This is my baby!” Mr. Walker sobbed as he approached the splintered poll where Jordan and schoolmate Troy Mullikin were killed. He gathered strips of car trim, bits of headlight and shards of wood. He examined skid marks snaking down the hill. And he talked about preventing similar tragedies.
“I hope other children learn from this,” he said. “(Jordan) was just going too fast, and there's no ifs, ands or buts. Just tell kids it's not worth speeding.”
J. Walker
|
T. Mullikin
|
K. Cathcart
|
Senior Kris Cathcart, 17, who also was in the crash, remained in serious condition Thursday at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton.
With its steep, blind hill, McClure Road, where the crash occurred, is a popular place to “ramp,” students said.
“All the kids know about it,” said Mike Conner, 17, a Mason senior who posted a white cross at the scene Thursday to memorialize his friends. “It's really dangerous, but a lot of people do it just to get a rush. I've ramped it so many times; I just can't believe this has happened.”
“It's like you're on a roller coaster. Your stomach goes up into your heart and drops back down,” agreed Candice Bahr, 18, a Mason graduate who said Jordan was like a little brother to her. “It's fun, but I never imagined something like this would happen. Never again. I'm not even going to turn down this road anymore.”
Friends and family described the boys as funny, popular athletes.
Jordan, 16, played football and baseball.
“I always called him my Little Johnny Bench,” said his father, who lives in West Chester. “He had a real zest for life.”
Troy, 15, also was an athlete who liked to clown around with his friends, Mike Conner said.
Kris, 17, nicknamed “Cuban,” plays basketball and soccer, Ms. Bahr said.
“They were the sweetest guys you could know,” Mike Conner said.
Wednesday's wreck was the second fatal accident involving teens on rolling roads in recent months.
Ross High School students Adam Brinkman and Scott King Jr. died in a fiery wreck in August when they crashed into a tree after their car went airborne over a hill on Kirchl ing Road in Butler County's Ross Township.
People who live near McClure Road said Wednesday's crash was not a surprise.
Friends leave tributes at the crash site.
(Ernest Coleman photo)
| ZOOM |
|
“It's so frustrating to live here,” said Bob Duncan, whose house sits at the crest of the steep hill. “Friday and Saturday nights, you can hear the same cars jumping the hill then turning around and doing it again.”
Dave Whirls, 18, of Lakota, was visiting his girlfriend across the street from the site when the boys crashed at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday and was the first person on the scene. He described ripping off his shirt to stop Kris' head from bleeding and checking the pulses of Jordan and Troy.
“We've had some really nasty accidents out here,” said Mr. Whirls' girlfriend, Dawn Davis, 21. “This is the worst.”
The traffic on McClure — and the launching — have grown worse since soccer fields were installed along the road last year, residents said.
“It's crazy, because moms do it, too,” Mr. Duncan said. “They'll be running late, and they'll be going 50, 60 miles per hour, and they don't realize (the hill) is so steep.”
Mr. Duncan and his neighbors said police do patrol McClure, but unless they catch drivers “ramping,” there isn't much they can do. The Duncans said the best solution would be to make McClure a dead end at the top of the hill.
The road's status as a favorite launching area for speeding teens and adults came as news to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
“We haven't had complaints or a lot of accidents in that area,” Sgt. Mark Helsinger said, noting that the rural road doesn't get a lot of traffic.
The road's speed limit is 55 mph. But Ms. Bahr said she can get her truck to go airborne on the road driving just 5 miles over the limit.
“There's not much to do around here, so that's what a lot of kids do for fun — go on the hills,” Ms. Bahr said. “You try to reach new speeds every day to see how far you can go (in the air).”
Cop charged in jogger's death
'Ramping' blamed for fatal crash
Two children killed on Ky. 17
Airport garages tracking license plates
Holiday warning: Beware mall music
Shoppers advised to remain on alert
Safe shopping tips
Go online to shop out-of-town
Rudd Farm lights up one last time
Grand homes dress in wreaths and bows
Cards with a cause
Christmas festival has Welsh flavor
Holiday workers make the best of it
'Pretty slow' day for crime
Stealth politics waged on Internet
GET TO IT
13 (children) turned out lucky
City parks want some 'Friends'
Colerain awaits buyout verdict
Eastgate Bigg's recalled turkeys
Guadalupe festival is outreach to Hispanics
Officer charged in bar scuffle
Sidewalks have lots of support
TRISTATE DIGEST
Warren picks Franklin for sewer link
