Pausing to Remember

July 1, 2004: Two young boys lost their lives in a tragic accident. Seven years ago, I was 16, and was looking forward to starting my junior year of high school. This is the story of how Clark Goerke and Ryan Morris lost their lives. Well, at least what I remember of it. I could look up the facts and details, but I feel the story would be better told going straight from memory.

I come from a pretty small town in Indiana--a town where most people know most people. I knew Clark, had had a few conversations with him, and most of my friends were friends with him. I think I had only met Ryan once in passing, but I knew who he was; and his girlfriend went to my church. If I remember correctly, they had gone to a party on the night of June 30, and had been drinking a little. Both guys were younger than me. I think Clark was going into 10th grade, and Ryan into 9th. They left the party, on a moped, very early in the morning of July 1. They drove down the road on the moped, reportedly without the lights on, and other cars reported that the driver, Clark, was playing chicken with them.

Eventually, the moped hit a truck, driven by Brian Feely, head on. I knew Brian to; I played hockey against him. He was either going into his senior year, or had just graduated from the public school that Clark and Ryan went to. Brian was high and/or drunk while he was driving his truck. The sound of the collision woke a neighbor who called the police.

I even know the man who called the police. He was the dad of someone I had been friends with in elementary school. When the police got to the scene, Brian said he didn't even know what he hit (the lights on the moped weren't on). The police found Clark's body first. For a while, they thought he was the only victim. A bloody shoe on the ground was their first indication that Clark wasn't the only one on the moped. After some more searching, they found Ryan in a tree.

It's one of those stories that is just a chain reaction of the wrong circumstances. If only one event had happened differently, maybe this tragedy never would've happened. If the lights on the moped had been on, maybe Brian would've seen the boys and avoided hitting them. If Brian had been sober, maybe he would've been alert enough to avoid the moped. Unfortunately, life doesn't give us what-ifs. The impact of this tragedy is still evident through messages that people pass along on Facebook, and other sources.

This holiday weekend, I hope everyone has fun and enjoys celebrating with their friends and family. Remember, though, there are no second chances in life--stay safe and make responsible decisions. The fire department will be busy enough responding to other people who have injured themselves with fireworks.