By Sue Kiesewetter
Enquirer contributor

WEST CHESTER TWP. - Police say alcohol was a factor in the fatal crash that claimed the life of a Lakota West High School senior Sunday.

Students, including his lacrosse teammates, gathered Monday afternoon along the Beckett Road crash site to mourn Dominic Broderick and make plans to remember him.

West Chester Township Police Sgt. Barry Walkersaid Broderick's blood alcohol level was .116, almost six times the .02 limit for anyone under the age of 21.

"Alcohol was a factor,'' Walker said of the early morning accident. "(Teens') lack of experience with drinking alcohol and lack of driving experience will lead to tragedies like what we had this weekend.''

Broderick died in a two-car accident on Beckett Road while trying to pass another car in a no-passing zone near Millcreek Condominiums. His car went off the road and hit a utility pole.

His accidental death was the second for Lakota West High School's senior class since November and he was the third Butler County teen to die in an accident in the past 10 days.

"Today at school it was really sad,'' said Andy Ahlers, a Lakota West High School senior who had gone to the crash site after school. "It was really subdued."

Counselors talked to students individually or in small groups - just as they did four months ago when senior Justin M. Lewis, 17, was thrown from his car on Union Centre Boulevard.

Instead of preparing for practice Monday, Broderick's teammates gathered at the crash scene, telling stories about the teen who was a captain of the Lakota lacrosse team, a club sport. Another team captain, Eric Wolery, a Lakota West High School junior, said it was still tough to believe Dominic wouldn't be around any more.

"It's happened. We know it happened, but it's hard to get it into our heads that it really happened,'' said Wolery, 17. "It's like when I wake up I expect to see Dominic. There's a lot of love here. Dominic had no enemies.''

In Broderick's honor, the team will move ahead with its first practice of the year today, Wolery said, but only after signing Broderick's white team jersey. He will be buried Wednesday in the team uniform.

"He would have us all hung if we didn't practice,'' Wolery said. "Lacrosse was his life. We used lacrosse to bond.

"Death doesn't set us apart. It just delays us,'' Wolery said.

Visitation for Broderick will be 3:30-7 p.m. Wednesday at West Chester Church of the Nazarene, 7951 Tylersville Road. Funeral services follow, officiated by Police Chaplain Tim Mintkenbaugh, who is also Lakota West's school resource officer.

Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Dominic Broderick Memorial Fund at any Fifth Third bank.

Talking with teens

West Chester Township Police Sgt. Barry Walker says now is a good time for parents to talk with their teenagers about drinking and driving while recent accidents are fresh in their minds. He offered the following advice:

• Emphasize it's illegal for anyone under 21 to possess or consume any alcohol. As little as one beer can put a teen over the legal blood alcohol level of .02 for anyone under the age of 21.

• Tell teens to exercise good judgment and leave a party immediately if alcohol is being served to anyone under age 21. If that's not possible, agree that an adult will come to pick up the teen if called.

• If a teen has consumed alcohol, tell the teen not to drive or ride with any driver who has, but to call home for an adult.

• Set a curfew, but an agreement that if your teen can't make it, call home rather than speed to get home.