At Tuscola, memorials for a friend gone too soon

By Peggy Manning
The Mountaineer Publishing Company
Waynesville, NC

Students at Tuscola High School created informal memorials across the campus Thursday for a sophomore student who died in a two-car crash Tuesday.

Joel John Brandt, 16, of Waynesville was one of four fatalities, when Brandt’s Ford Taurus collided with a Chrysler New Yorker driven by Gwyneith Vance Gibson, 47, of Canton.

Brandt was driving at an estimated speed of 65 to 75 mph along U.S. 19 toward Maggie Valley, according to Sgt. Matt Mike of the N.C. Highway Patrol. The speed limit for that section, near the U.S. 276 intersection, is 50 mph.

Brandt apparently lost control of his car, crossed over into the northbound lanes and struck the car driven by Gibson in the passenger side, killing Brenda Smith Ledford, 49, of Canton.

Two passengers in Brandt’s car — Eric Lee James Lavine, 20, of Waynesville, and Stephanie Marske, 18, of Canton — also were killed. The three young people were not wearing seat belts, Wike said.

Gibson and Ledford’s husband, Jack Ernest Ledford, 48, of Canton, were taken to Mission Hospital in Asheville with serious injuries. Members of the N.C. Highway Patrol Accident Reconstruction team from Hendersonville and Hickory used special measuring equipment to reconstruct the scene of the crash Thursday. Results of the investigation were not available at press time.

Brandt’s older brother, Paul, who is a senior at Tuscola, returned to classes Wednesday. “He wanted to be with his friends,” said Tuscola Principal Tommy Hollingsworth. “That’s good for us and good for him, too.” Hollingsworth said he allowed students to express their grief as they saw fit.

“I asked the staff to be flexible, patient and understanding. We sent a counselor to every class that Joel had taken,” he said.

Some students used sidewalk chalk to write messages and others posted photographs of Brandt in halls.

“They cried, talked and hugged each other. Young people are a lot stronger than we think and most would rather talk to each other than to an adult,” Hollingsworth said.

Brandt had obtained a provisional driver’s license in July. Because drivers under the age of 18 have a much higher crash rate, special laws apply to them, including:

• A supervising licensed driver must be seated beside the driver.

• When not accompanied by a supervising licensed driver, there may be no more than one passenger under the age of 21 in the vehicle.

Hollingsworth’s 16-year-old daughter, Jordan, recently obtained a provisional license. After the fatal crash, he said he again talked to her about the importance of wearing a seat belt at all times, driving carefully and obeying all traffic laws.

“When something like this happens, you pray that it doesn’t happen to you,” Hollingsworth said.

A memorial assembly will be held at the school next week, he said.

A funeral service for Brandt will be held at noon Saturday at the Waynesville chapel of Wells Funeral Home.

No service is planned for Lavine. Funeral arrangements for Ledford and Marske have not been announced.

Peggy Manning can be reached at 452-0661, ext. 127, or at peggy@themountaineer.com
 

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