Vigil held at Washington and Lee after fatal wreck
Nicholas Perry Hansel, who was driving the Chevrolet Tahoe carrying nine other Washington and Lee students, has been charged with DUI and is being held at the Rockbridge Regional Jail, according to state police.
From ROANOKE.COM
ROANOKE, VA. 2013-12-04 —A Washington and Lee University student died and three others were left hospitalized early Tuesday morning after the packed SUV they were riding in overturned north of campus, officials said.
Kelsey H. Durkin, a senior from New Canaan, Conn., died in the wreck, the university said.
The driver, 21-year-old Nicholas Perry Hansel, was charged with driving under the influence and was being held at the Rockbridge Regional Jail on Tuesday afternoon, said Virginia State Police spokesman Sgt. Rob Carpentieri. He was also charged with refusing to be tested for drugs or alcohol.
Hansel, of New Orleans, is listed as a sophomore in the university’s student directory.
Eight other Washington and Lee students were in the 2006 Chevrolet Tahoe when it ran off the right side of rural Turkey Hill Road near Bethany Road, hit a tree stump and overturned about 1:30 a.m., Carpentieri said.
The school announced the wreck in a note to the campus from President Kenneth Ruscio.
“This is a community of compassion and caring friendships. That makes the sadness we feel deep and genuine,” Ruscio said. “But this is also a community of strength and support for one another, and we need now more than ever to call upon that most precious quality.”
Durkin, 21, was in a rear seat and taken to Carilion Stonewall Jackson Hospital in a private vehicle, where she was pronounced dead on arrival, Carpentieri said. She wasn’t wearing a seat belt and was thrown from the SUV, the sergeant said.
Hansel suffered minor injuries and was treated at Stonewall Jackson before being taken to jail.
Carpentieri said two other students involved in the wreck were initially taken to Stonewall Jackson but later airlifted to the University of Virginia Medical Center. One was in critical condition there Tuesday afternoon, and another listed in good condition, a spokeswoman said.
Another student was airlifted to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, where a spokesman said the student was in good condition Tuesday afternoon.
Other students in the SUV were treated at the Lexington hospital and released, and some declined care, Carpentieri said.
Some models of Chevrolet Tahoes can seat up to nine passengers, according to the automotive website Edmunds.com. State police Sgt. Bob Black said it’s not illegal for rear seat passengers 18 and older to be unbuckled and not in a proper seat in a vehicle. It’s not recommended, though.
The university said it was making counselors available for students and staff.
“There are no words to express the grief we feel over the loss of someone taken from us so suddenly and tragically,” Ruscio said in the letter about Durkin’s death. “In the days ahead, in the weeks and months ahead, our sadness will be lessened only by the memories of her time with us.”
News of the wreck and Durkin’s death began to filter around the university’s Lexington campus Tuesday morning.
“I know that it’s just barely sinking in for everyone, not just myself,” said Meredith Hardy, 22, a senior from North Carolina. “All I have are memories of good times and laughter with her. She cared about people and knew how to make you smile. I knew I could always count on her for a good joke that picked up my spirits.” ….MORE
http://www.roanoke.com/news/2424655-12/wl-student-killed-in-rockbridge-county-wreck-identified.html