The Crash

 Tragedy has struck the city of San Marcos as four teenagers were pronounced dead at the scene, and one was rushed to the hospital, soon to be pronounced paralyzed, due to a drunk driving accident. At one o'clock this morning, a vehicle driven by Andrew Braid, a student of San Marcos High School, carrying three fellow students struck another vehicle driven by sophomore Mackenzie Kirkwood, also a student at San Marcos High School. The only sober passenger in Baird's car, Isiah Hennie, was declared dead on impact, and intoxicated Christina Clermont, who suffered a spinal injury and is now paralyzed from the waist down, ending her promising softball career. All Three occupants of the other vehicle, Alicia Santucci, Emily Page, and the driver, Mackenzie Krikwood, were deceased by the time the first response arrived.

Although the police have refused to released many details at this point in the investigation, it has been confirmed that the driver, Andrew Baird, was intoxicated at the time of the incident. He is in custody and currently awaiting his arraignment in court. The sober sophomores involved, Alicia Santucci, Emily Page, and diver Mackenzie Kirkwood, were eager to continue their high school experience however, everything changed for them in an instant.

The Party

 It was Prom night. Four friends, Tyra Jones, Andrew Baird, Isiah Hennie, and Christina Clermont decided it would be fun to go to a party after prom since they were all staying at the same hotel. They went inside and immediately Christina and Andrew gravitated to the open Smirnoff bottles left on the table. Tyra was intrigued with the scene and decided to start taking a few shots of Jose Cuervo tequila. Isiah was offered a drink of Malibu rum but declined; he had no desire to drink but simply came to the party because he wanted to be with Tyra. Minutes later, there was a knock on the door and everyone went silent. When they realized the police were there, Andrew rounded everyone up quickly and ran back to the car. In the panic, no one questioned Andrew getting behind the wheel and beginning to speed away. Everyone in fact, was congratulating him on the speedy getaway. They were on their way back to the hotel…

During the day on Friday, Emily and her best friend got in a fight. Mackenzie and Alicia wanted to take her mind off of it, so they decided to have a “girl’s night out”. After school they went to the Padres game and went out for dinner and ice cream. However, during the game Emily’s best friend texted her saying she was over their friendship. Emily got very upset so they left early to go get some ice cream then go home to have a slumber party.

While they were in the car going to Emily’s favorite ice cream shop, an on coming car came out of nowhere and collided into them...

 

Andrew Baird is a high school senior. He's currently enrolled in multiple AP classes, and has held a near perfect overall GPA through high school, and is known for maintaining a bright disposition. He also plays varsity lacrosse, starting on defense. He has played at some of the highest levels of play around the nation with several club teams. Andrew also enjoys a healthy life outside of school. At home, he lives with his mother, father, and a younger brother. He reads, plays games, and enjoys listening to new music, including going to several concerts. He plans on attending prom with his girlfriend of two years, Terra Deal, who is captain of varsity dance.

Isiah has a thriving personality that brightens people’s days. He is always making jokes and showing his spirit. He is very well accomplished too as the team captain of varsity football, running with varsity track while maintaining an admirable GPA and showing his school spirit by being involved in ASB. Isiah showed a role model persona by not drinking or getting into drugs. He was a down to earth family man that loved everyone. He especially showed his love for his girlfriend Tyra Jones who means the world to him. He has 2 sisters and 1 brother. His hobbies include video games, lifting weights, going to church with his family and spending time with his best friend Kyle Lewis. Isiah had hoped to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville.

Tyra Jones is a junior at San Marcos High School. She has an overall GPA of 4.0 and is an active member in Link Crew, CSF, National Honor Society, and is currently Junior Class President. She has been on varsity cheer for three years as well as varsity track and field for three years where she has broken three school records. Tyra is actively involved with the Solutions for Change organization, and works at Daisy’s Cajun Kitchen in Carlsbad. Tyra hopes to attend the University of California Santa Barbra in the fall of 2014, and had hoped to keep a strong relationship with her boyfriend Isiah Hennie throughout college.

Christina Lynne Clermont is a 17 year old senior at San Marcos High School. Christina started playing softball when she was just a mere 5 years old; she has been playing for almost 13 years. Outside of school and softball, Christina loves to go to the beach and hang out with friends. Christina definitely has always been the type of person to live life to the fullest, constantly having a positive outlook on things, always making the best of every situation. Christina has been on the San Marcos High School softball team all four years, playing on varsity, and leading as team captain. Due to her academic commitment and outstanding athletic talent, Christina was scouted by several universities during her freshman and sophomore year. Notre Dame University, University of Hawaii, University of North Carolina, Purdue University and Syracuse University were all scouting her to potentially play for their school. Falling in love with Syracuse University, Christina accepted their full-ride scholarship offer, officially signing and committing her senior year. Christina planned to have a bio-medical major, hoping to one day be a doctor.

Mackenzie’s full name is Mackenzie Lynn Kirkwood. She is 16 years old and her birthday is January 22^nd. Her parents Linda and Sean Kirkwood are divorced and Mackenzie spends the majority of her life living with her mom. In school she is a Link-Crew Leader, a cheerleader and a member of ASB. She has been a member of the JV cheer squad for 2 years and has served and freshman class vice president; she now serves as sophomore class president. Outside of school she likes to hang out with her friends and works at Legoland operating attractions.

Alicia is the second child in her family; she has an older sister, Celeste, who is 18. Alicia is a sophomore in high school and is a part of varsity swim and varsity water polo. She is also a part of ASB. She enjoyed spending time with her friends, going shopping and going to the beach. Her birthday is on June 24^th and she will turning 16 this year.

Emily Page is a sophomore at San Marcos High School. She lives with her father Scott, and her mother, Trisha. She also has a nine year-old sister who she is very close to. She is a member of the Cavalier dance team and the 2012-2013 ASB class. Emily spends her weekends volunteering as an assistant runway coach through the John Robert Powers program. Had it not been for the accident, Emily would have turned sixteen on August, 11th.

Isiah Memoir

Isiah Hennie was a lively, hilarious 16 year old who loved life, and had huge dreams that never got to be fulfilled. He had a passion for football and was one of the starting wide receivers for the San Marcos knight’s football team, and had a promising future in college football, maybe even headed to the pros later in life. When asked to characterize Isiah, nearly every person would say he was the class clown, and always knew how to put a smile on someone’s face. He deeply cared about people and if someone was upset he would be the first person to lend them his attention and affection if they needed it. He was loud and outgoing, and exuded confidence, a confidence that was contagious. He was humble about his achievements and never tried to belittle anyone. He was a natural born leader, and when he spoke, you better believe people listened. Isiah always stayed true to his morals and never strayed from them, never being tempted by peer pressure or influenced to do anything that might affect his goals. His dreams were the most important things to him, and every day he strived to work hard and improve so that someday those dreams could become a reality. He was greatly loved, and touched nearly every life he came in contact with. So when tragedy struck and Isiah was pronounced dead at the fault of a drunk driver, the shock was too great for most to handle- how could such a bright young man with so much potential be gone? This is for sure: Isiah was a kind, charismatic individual, and will always be remembered for his ability to light up a room. He is now and always will be remembered through his family and friends as a loving son, brother, and friend, gone much too soon.

 At the morgue, a gut-wrenching scene occurred when you witnessed Ingrid Hennie confirming the death of her child. The morgue, already being a dull and sad place due to its grey walls and deathly images, yet the entire building was filled with the tears and sorrow coming from a woman struck by a loved ones fatality. No words can explain the overwhelming emotion that diminished the spirits of every body there. Seeing the tears continuously roll down the cheeks was a heart-breaking sight, and it brought sadness and burdens upon us all. She states “No woman should have to bury her child, let alone see their child dead, unresponsive and cold.” Anger, sorrow, emptiness are just a few of many feelings the mother felt with the sight of her dead child. This place has been once again haunted by the utter disbelief of a child’s death.

What Ever Happened to Mackenzie Kirkwood, Alicia Santucci, and Emily Page?

The sudden death of Alicia Santucci left her family, friends, and anyone who knew her in total shock. Everyone is struggling to comprehend the tragedy that just occurred. Before the accident, Alicia spent most of her time at water polo practice, swim practice or hanging out with her friends. She always put a smile on everyone’s face and knew how to have a good time. Today, life without Alicia is a daily hurdle. Every little thing reminds her family of her. Her sister Celeste, a freshman in college, has gone into therapy to help with the loss of her best friend and little sister. Her Mom and Dad are doing their best to be strong, but miss their beautiful daughter greatly. They both have taken time off of work and the only thing they are able to concentrate on is Alicia. Her classmates, teammates, and friends say it is way too quiet without Alicia and the live spirit she brought to everything is now missing. Her school is showing their respect by having a day in memory of her. Alicia was a sweet spirit and had a big heart. She will be dearly missed by everyone that knew her.

Mackenzie Kirkwood died in fatal drunk driving accident. She participated in ASB her sophomore year as class president, was a cheerleader her freshman and sophomore year and her junior year she would have been a varsity member. The moment Mackenzie innocently went behind the wheel and drove her friends Alicia and Emily around she never knew what would happen that night. Mackenzie is surrounded by her mom Linda, her dad Shawn, and her older brother Colin. Her mother and father are divorced and she currently lives with her mom. Mackenzie was Linda's first and only daughter and she saw a bright future for her daughter.linda was first in denial and didn't believe the news. Mackenzie was not even drinking and died in a drunk driving accident. Mackenzie's mom and dad were already not talking and this tragedy drew the family apart. Now that Linda suffered this with her own daughter she doesn't want someone else's child to die and her not have helped. She wants to bring more awareness to students of drinking and driving and start a program that offer kids a free ride home no questions ask. Other high schools have it and she believes it would stop a lot of teens deaths.

 

 

 

After the devastating accident that took Emily’s life, her family’s world was completely shattered. Her Mom, Dad, and little sister Isabella struggled to come to terms with the loss of their daughter to a drunk driving accident. Isabella, who attends Carrillo, was particularly devastated. She lost her only sibling, her older sister, her role model for life. Being so young, it was hard for her to understand why and how exactly her older sister had been taken away from her. They had been extremely close, and Isabella will now be forced to go through the rest of her life without her sister Emily.

Emily’s death also affected other people who had cared about her in life. Emily had been involved in ASB and was a member of the Cavalier Dance Team, and those friends she left behind found the time after her death to be extremely difficult. She will be missed by her peers and teachers greatly; the entire school took the death of one of their Knights very seriously. In addition to a candle-lit vigil in the stadium for Emily and the other students lost, Ms. Mottershaw also scheduled a teen alcohol and drunk driving week to take place on campus in the future, in hopes of raising awareness of teen drinking and preventing another terrible accident like this from happening. Rest in peace Emily, you will be remembered forever. 

What Happened to Tyra Jones After the Crash?

After the crash, Tyra Jones was devastated. She quit the cheer team and her grades began to drop. The death of her Beloved Isiah sent her into a deep depression and her mental health began to deteriorate. She later dropped out of San Marcos high School and turned to the streets trying to find the love that she desperately yearned for. Her cheer mates desperately tried to change her ways. They tried to convince her to re-enroll in school and come back to the cheer team for her senior year. Unfortunately, it was too late; the crash has changed Tyra’s life forever.

How do you cope with the death of someone you care about? Tyra Jones, the girlfriend of slain Isiah Hennie, 17, has to do just that. After surviving the drunk driving accident that killed five, Tyra Jones grew to be severely depressed because of the guilt that she had for being the only one to survive with no major injuries. She now goes to therapy to control her depression, PTSD, and guilt. Tyra was never tried for underage drinking and was seen as a victim. Her two year relationship with Isiah ended abruptly the day of the accident and the rest of her high school experiences will now be plagued with emptiness. Tyra will never get to experience a complete happiness the rest of her high school years and she hopes that future peers will learn from this incident, refuse to drink and drive and influence others to do the same.

What Happened to Christina After the Crash?

After being released from the hospital, Christina’s life is going to be drastically changed. She will need to attend months of rehab to adjust to her new life and see various doctors. She will need to find a regular doctor, a neurology nurse, a psychologist, a physical and occupational therapist, social worker, and a speech pathologist.  So far no surgery can fix paralysis but in the future there is hope for cures to paralysis.

       Christina, a long time softball player, was an outstanding, noteworthy, key player on her high school team. Her talent and skill in softball earned her a full ride scholarship to Syracuse University in New York. She would be playing on the softball team at the college level, a dream come true. However, being in a drunk driving accident, her high school team and future college career were both greatly affected. Being heavily injured, Christiana would not be able to play softball her senior year, causing her to let down her team, friends, coaches, and family. Her serious injuries and involvement in the accident would also void her ability to play softball at Syracuse University. Her dream to play softball at the college level was unfortunately shattered.

What Happened to Isiah Hennie After the Crash?

After the death of Isiah Hennie, the Hennie family was struck with too much devastation. Nothing could ever make up for this unspeakable tragedy. All of his family was looking forward to watching him succeed as San Marcos High’s star wide receiver, walking him through the tunnel on senior night, and sending him off to college for football the following fall. Now that all of this would never happen, they dwell on the many memories they cherished with Isiah during his sixteen-year existence. 

Isiah Hennie, a junior at San Marcos High school, was recently killed in a drunk driving incident by Andrew Baird at the age of 16. In high school, Isiah was able to maintain a 3.8 GPA and according to most of his teachers was a pleasure to have in class. Isiah’s classmates always enjoyed his presence and he was able to make anyone laugh at any given time.  No one considered him an enemy and he was loved by every administrator because of his big heart and his outmost devotion to his school. Isiah was always in the front row of every sporting event that he was not participating in showing his school pride and supporting all teams whether it is a male or female sport.

​Clearly, Isiah was a focused scholar and succeeded in school, but also kept a steady balance with his sports as he was one of the top receivers on the Varsity football team. Isiah, being a starter since his sophomore year, had received many awards for his hard work including a Play of the Week achievement from KUSI Prep Pigskin Report and 2nd Team All- League both his Sophomore and Junior Year. Isiah receiving many offers from SDSU, Boise State, Cal Berkeley, Utah, and University of Ohio he was destined to play D1 football and eventually go to the League. However, all Isiah’s hopes and dreams of playing football later in his life was thrown away and crushed due to the one decision of Andrew Baird driving drunk that night.

Christina's Rehab

Christina and her parents now reside and agony over their daughters heartbreaking medical condition. Christina’s life pulled a complete 360 in a matter of seconds; her bright and promising future quickly taken out of reach. Never in her life did she ever imagine that she would one day be paralyzed, unable to ever walk nor move her body again, unable to ever play softball again. Although the community of San Marcos has come together to support Christina and the Clermont family, no empathy or compassion can un-due the permanent damage that the accident has left with her. Christina’s full-ride scholarship to play softball at Syracuse University was reneged, due to her obvious incapability to play. Currently, Christina is learning how to adjust and adapt to her new life as a paraplegic; mourning in her regret of driving with a drunk driver. When asked about the accident, Christina sobs as she explains, “Constantly, every minute of the day, as I sit here and stare down at myself in this wheel-chair, I cannot even begin to explain to you the immense feeling of regret that haunts over me. I knew Andrew was driving drunk, I knew that none of us should have been drinking, and of course I knew that it was a bad idea to get in the car, but in no way did I ever think that this huge of a tragedy could come out of it. This wasn’t supposed to happen me, my life wasn’t supposed to be like this. I’m supposed to be at Syracuse right now, fulfilling my dream to play softball and become a doctor. But this is my life now and all I can do is just accept it and make the best of it. I’m lucky enough to still have my life, and that’s what matters.”

Christina has been attending physical therapy every day since she got out of the hospital. She plans on speaking at seminars and charities that educate young teens on the reality and consequences of drinking and driving. She hopes that her story well help steer teens in the right direction; steering them straight.