GOSHEN — If it takes a village to raise a child, then so does a village mourn when it loses four of its own.

        The close-knit Clermont County community of Goshen was numb Tuesday after four teenagers who were not wearing seat belts were killed Monday in a one-car accident in Clinton County.

        Losing one is bad enough, but losing so many is unbearable.

Kathy McRoberts (left) talks about her daughter, Jennifer, who died Monday. With her is Natasha Woodward, a friend of Jennifer's. (Ernest Coleman photo) | ZOOM |

        “Even if you don't know them, it hurts,” said Ina Binkley, a 78-year-old Goshen resident. “You feel for the families.”

        The crash killed Lester Smith, 16, of Loveland; Jennifer McRoberts, 16, of Goshen; Natasha (Tasha) Schnelle, 17, of Pleasant Plain; and Jesse King, 16, of Loveland, all students at Goshen High School.

        Two others, Sara E. Dale, 16, of Goshen, and Robert B. Creech, 17, of Loveland, who were wearing seat belts, received only minor injuries.

        The six were traveling to Monroe Falls in Clinton County for a swimming outing — one of the last carefree flings of summer before school begins. But now, four of the teens won't see their new high school when it opens Sept. 3.

        “It certainly puts a damper on a very exciting, historical event that's about to occur, but it also makes you stop and shift your priorities,” said Goshen Superintendent Charlene Thomas. “The most important thing is the families and their feelings and offering as much support as we can possibly offer. It's devastating to lose this number of students all at once.”

        Lester, Jennifer and Jesse would have been juniors, and Tasha would have been a senior at the school of 750 students.

        “Goshen is a real close-knit community, and everybody knows everybody,” Ms. Thomas said. “Anytime something like this occurs, especially this number of children, it impacts the community.”

        Lois Pappas, 54, co-owner of Family Deli in Goshen, said the accident weighed heavily on the minds of customers throughout the day.

        “Everybody in here has been in tears and red eyes,” she said.

        “It just breaks your heart because they were just getting their lives going,” Ms. Pappas said. “Instead of planning their education and looking at college catalogs, they're looking at coffins. Life's not fair, but you're not supposed to be burying your kids.”

        Even construction workers at the high school are upset, she said. Many are not from Goshen, but they have kids and can only imagine the kind of pain that four sets of parents are feeling, including Don and Kathy McRoberts.

        “She was a beautiful girl,” Mrs. McRoberts said, choking back tears as she held a photo of her daughter, Jennifer, who died with her boyfriend, Jesse. “She had a wonderful personality. She was intelligent and smart. She was on the honor roll. She was very honest and fair. She believed in fairness. If she committed herself to one person, she didn't believe in blowing that person off if something better came along. She was a good friend.”

        Jennifer's best friend, Natasha Woodward, grieved with the McRoberts family at their home Tuesday. She had moved to Florence last year, but the two stayed close. “We did everything together,” the 16-year-old said. “She was a very vibrant person. She was sweet to everyone and always made time for everyone. She just left a little bit of her wherever she went.”

        Jennifer excelled in art and planned to major in art in college. She was just about to start scouting for college scholarships on the Internet. “Her TV was even painted. She was very abstract. She painted the way she was feeling,” her mother said.

Jennifer McRoberts and Jesse E. King in a recent family photo.

        Jesse and Jennifer had dated almost 10 months, and Jennifer had planned to do something special on their 10-month anniversary. “He always fussed around her,” Mrs. McRoberts said of Jesse. “He'd cook for her and made sure she ate at the time she was supposed to eat. She was diabetic. His grandpa would always say, "I don't know what she sees in that boy.' He's a good-looking boy, very handsome, very caring. He treated Jenny like a special person.”

        Their visitation will be held together. Jesse also died along with his best friend, Lester Smith. Visitation for Lester and Tasha, who were boyfriend and girlfriend, will also be held together.

        The McRoberts family will take a picture of a rose Jennifer was painting. They'll also take her fish, Charlie, and the stuffed zebra that Jesse gave her.

        “She slept with that all of the time,” her mother said. “You did not mess with the zebra. The zebra is going to be with her.”

        The 1995 Geo Prizm was headed east on Ohio 28 about a mile-and-a-half west of Martinsville in Clark Township when it went left of center, began to swerve and struck a fencepost before hitting a tree, Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers said.

        “She hit sideways,” Sgt. Wayne Price said. “Both the doors took the brunt of the hit.”

        Preliminary investigation shows the vehicle started going out of control at least 300 feet before it came to rest, Sgt. Price said. The car's speed has not been determined.

        The investigation continues, and troopers would not discuss possible charges. Troopers plan to requestion Sara, who was driving, and Robert.

        None of the teens who died was wearing a seat belt, and three of the four were ejected when the car hit the tree. They were riding in the back seat and were pronounced dead at the scene. Troopers could not say if the four teens would have survived if they had been wearing their seat belts.

        “Our stance is that everyone in that vehicle should have had their seat belt on,” Ohio State Highway Patrol Lt. Michael Black said. “This is a prime example of how important it is that every occupant inside a vehicle wear their safety belt. Unfortunately, this is a tragic example.”

        Sara and her front-seat passenger, Robert, were buckled up. They were treated at Clinton Memorial Hospital and released. Sara has had her driver's license since May, Lt. Black said.

        Goshen schools arranged for the Clermont County Crisis Team, area pastors and school counselors to be available Tuesday afternoon for counseling at the Goshen United Methodist Church across from the new high school. Teachers came to the church to help. About 80 students and parents came to share their grief. Counselors will be available at the church today.

        The students' deaths are another blow to high school students and staff, who lost their principal last fall. John Stowe died of a heart attack Oct. 15. A memorial service for the students will be held later at the high school after students return from summer break.

        Funds have been established at Provident Bank and various Goshen businesses to help pay for funeral costs of the four teens.

        Visitation and funerals for all four will be held at Tufts Schildmeyer Family Funeral Home in Goshen.

        Visitation for Lester Smith and Natasha Schnelle, will be 5-8 p.m. today. Lester's funeral is at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, and Tasha's is at 1 p.m. Thursday.

        Visitation for Jenny McRoberts and Jesse King will be 5-8 p.m. Thursday. Jennifer's funeral will be 8 p.m. Thursday, and Jesse's funeral is 10:30 a.m. Friday.

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