I heard about this terrible tragedy tonight from folks that know one of these families.... My own parents would not let us take ANYONE in the car with us until we were 18 and had driven 2 years at least. No matter how good and responsible the kids are, they simply don't have enough experience yet...this is another unfortunate example...
February 28, 2007
5 kids from 2 families die after car skids into pond near Emmett
idahostatesman.com
Emmett — Two hours after a car skidded off the road and sank into 20 feet of murky, 38-degree water Tuesday morning, rescue divers brought five young people, ages 12 to 15, to the surface.
Then, for four hours, doctors at Walter Knox Memorial Hospital in Emmett worked to save them but couldn't, said Max Long, a hospital administrator. Cold temperatures can slow a body's metabolism, sometimes enabling victims to survive longer without oxygen.
The five young people, all residents of Sweet who regularly carpooled to school together, were siblings Megan Walker, 15, Tyler Walker, 14, and Kyle Walker, 12; and Brooke Probst, 15, and her brother, Brant Probst, 13.
Brandon and Tamara Walker have four surviving children, all boys age 10 and younger, said Lonni Leavitt-Barker, a cousin of the Walkers. Brandon Walker owns a construction company.
Blake and Sheri Probst have two surviving daughters. Blake Probst is a bishop at the Sweet LDS Ward.
Brooke Probst was driving the 1989 Ford Tempo when it veered off an icy Idaho 52 northeast of Emmett near Black Canyon Reservoir, authorities said.
A witness reported the accident around 7:30 a.m., Idaho State Police Sgt. Scott Dye said. Dye said it took about two hours for a dive team to get in place to pull the students from the water.
"They got dive teams in the water as soon as they could," he said, adding that the water temperature, low visibility and tree snags in the pond complicated efforts.
Had someone not witnessed the accident, the car's tracks leading toward the pond would have likely been the only visible evidence of the tragedy.
Taylor Madsen, 16, peered into the pond Tuesday evening. Madsen ran track with both Megan Walker and Brooke Probst and knew all five victims.
"They were all just the best kids you could meet," she said with tears in her eyes. "Just so full of life."
Emmett High track coach Gary Warren said that just last week, he stood on the school's track, chatting with pole vaulter Brooke Probst. Probst told her coach she was hoping to vault 10 feet this season and had spent all winter in the weight room trying to improve her strength.
Warren had no doubt Probst would have reached her goal.
"She was very talented and very wonderful," Warren said. "She was one of the hardest workers I've ever had in my program."
Warren had expected Megan Walker, who was new to the program, to be a spark for the track and field team in the hurdles.
Warren plans to have the track team members wear black bands on their uniforms this season in memory of Probst and Walker.
Leavitt-Barker said they "always tried to do the right thing."
She called Megan Walker an accomplished athlete who ran track, played basketball and loved to ride her horse, Shadow. Leavitt-Barker said her cousin once read an original poem at church that nearly brought congregants to tears.
Kyle Walker loved to read and helped his family around the house, Leavitt-Barker said. Tyler Walker was close to earning his Eagle Scout badge and was a caring big brother who took his younger brothers four-wheeling the day before the accident.
Leavitt-Barker said that in August, the family moved from Eagle to Sweet, a rural town in a scrubby valley between snow-capped peaks northeast of Emmett.
The accident happened to coincide with a vote in the Senate Transportation Committee to toughen laws for young drivers.
On Tuesday, members of the committee unanimously approved a bill to increase the time young drivers must have adult supervision behind the wheel and limit the number of passengers under the age of 17, with the exception of family members. The bill now goes to the Senate floor for a vote.
Bill sponsor Sen. James Hammond, R-Post Falls, said that to his knowledge, committee members were unaware of the fatal accident. It is legal for 15-year-olds like Brooke Probst to drive during the daytime.
The Walker family suffered another tragic accident in 2002. Their daughter Mikaela, 2, died when a family friend, unable to see the girl, accidentally hit her with his truck.
Reporters Katy Moeller, Rachel Roberts, Brian Murphy, Patrick Orr and Cynthia Sewell contributed to this report. Contact reporter Heath Druzin at 373-6617 or hdruzin@idahostatesman.com or reporter Anna Webb at 377-6431 or awebb@idahostatesman.com. |
