Tuesday, Dec. 02, 2008

Crash that killed cheerleader under investigation

MYRTLE BEACH -- Flowers lined a deep ditch Monday afternoon, marking the spot where three Horry County teens crashed Friday, resulting in one death.

Cassady Jones-French, 17, of Myrtle Beach, died Sunday as a result of injuries she received in the crash. She was one of two teens killed after separate crashes during the weekend.

Jeremy Rogers, the driver of the car Jones-French was in, and Eric Martin, another passenger, were not seriously injured, according to family members.

Investigators still are looking into how the crash happened but had not determined a cause by Monday afternoon.

"One of the neighbors called me" after it happened, said Brenda Martin, Eric Martin's mother.

"When I got here, Eric and Jeremy were out of the car and the emergency workers were getting Cassady out."

Rogers' 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier was flipped on the passenger side in the ditch when she arrived, Martin said.

The three teens were returning to Eric Martin's home around 8:30 p.m. Friday when the crash occured near Harbour Towne Road, Brenda Martin said.

The other teens lived elsewhere in Horry County, Brenda Martin said.

"This is a bad curve," Martin said.

"They need to put some yellow lines or something. It was a bad accident. It could happen to anybody."

Martin said her son and Jones-French had been friends for several years. The two had also dated, she said.

"She was good," she said. "She was a cheerleader."

Socastee High School Principal Paul Browning said Jones-French was a very popular girl and an outgoing student. He said he expects a memorial to take place at the school later this week, but he had no details by Monday.

Jones-French was the local chapter president of DECA, Distributive Education Classes of America. She was also the state vice president of the organization.

The Socastee chapter of DECA will establish a scholarship in her name, club adviser Lou Ellen Blackmon said.

"It's been a sad day," Blackmon said. "The students have done exceptionally well."

Lance Cpl. Sonny Collins with the S.C. Highway Patrol said the Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team was working Monday to reconstruct the crash.

Collins said it could take several weeks to determine an exact cause.

Extra counselors and the grief response team from Horry County Schools' district office were on hand at Socastee High School Monday, Browning said.

Grief counselors also were available at Andrews High School to help students deal with the death of Robert Johnson, 16, of Andrews, the other student who died after a vehicle crash during the weekend.

Andrews High School Principal Michelle Staggers said Johnson's aunt wants to have a memorial service but hasn't made final plans.

"It's been pretty quiet today," Staggers said. "The district sent some grief counselors to the school for students."

Johnson's welding teacher, Ronnie Jackson, said Johnson was a "good kid, a quiet kid with a big heart."

"He was smaller in stature, kind of a shorter guy, and you know, sometimes kids would hassle him, so he was always working hard to prove that he could do anything anyone else could do.

"He had a lot of heart," Jackson said. "He was in my class for two years, and he loved welding. I think that's what he would have done with his life."

Johnson died Sunday after being injured in a one-car crash Saturday on U.S. 17-A, said Berkeley County Deputy Coroner Bill Salisbury.

Johnson was riding in a 2000 Mazda van. Neither Johnson nor the driver wore seat belts, police said.

The driver was not seriously injured, and that investigation also is continuing, police said.

No charges have been filed in either collisions.

-- The (Myrtle Beach) Sun News

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