Brunswick community honors teens killed in crash

1:04 AM, Jun 5, 2012   |    comments
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BRUNSWICK -- The candles flicker in the breeze on a cooler than normal day in June.

At Brunswick High School, hundreds of luminaries line the sidewalk in front of the school, and lead all the way to the back parking lot, where they spell out a message:
"Always in our hearts."

The word "heart" is symbolized with a giant shape of a heart, and in the middle, the date of the tragedy: 6/3/12.

And on each of the paper bags that hold the tealight candles is a personal message handwritten by students. Each expresses the loss felt by the deaths of Jeff Chaya, 18; Blake Bartchak, 17; Lexi Poerner, 16; and Kevin Fox, 18.

The four teens were killed early Sunday morning in a one-car crash, when police say, their speeding car went airborne over a railroad crossing.

A lone survivor, Julia Romito, 17, is in good condition at a local hospital. A family spokesperson said Romito, however, has amnesia and does not remember the accident.

All over town, hundreds of members of the community attended as many as three vigils and memorial services for the students Monday evening.

At St. Collette Church, it was standing room only, as fellow students shed tears and shared hugs.

Brunswick Mayor Gary Warner choked back tears as he spoke to the congregation.

"No words we speak tonight can diminish..."

He paused.

"...the staggering pain," he said, as he was nearly overcome with emotion.

Meanwhile, at the home of a relative of Julia Romito, dozens of blue and white balloons floated up into the air, released by students and parents who gathered in the front yard.

In the crowd were the parents of Lexi Poerner, Jim and Lisa.

"The community's support has been wonderful for the families," said Jim Poerner. "It helps... it helps... it helps," said Lisa Poerner, holding back tears.

WKYC-TV