Homecoming tragedy: Two die in crash
Deerfield High School senior James Feid said his homeroom teacher urged his class Friday to stay safe during this weekend's homecoming festivities. The teacher begged the class not to follow the example of a female student who jumped into a car with a drunken driver and died in a crash.
The warning proved prophetic as Feid and dozens of other students huddled Saturday at the scene of an apparent alcohol-related car accident that killed the driver, Daniel C. Bell, a graduate of the class of 2006, and a passenger, Ross W. Trace, a senior. Both were 18.
Three other passengers, Manuel G. Abreu, 18; Angelo J. Grandi, 18, and Joong "James" Kim, 17, were in good condition, police said. Kim is a senior, and Abreu and Grandi are 2006 graduates.
Trace and Abreu wore seat belts, but the others didn't and were thrown from the car, police said. Trace was in the back seat behind the driver.
"It's strange. You don't think this can happen to your friends," said Feid, as classmates laid flowers at the foot of the tree that Bell struck at high speed with his Volkswagen Jetta about 11:30 p.m. Friday on a private driveway on Summit Drive in north suburban Deerfield.
"Bell You Will Be Missed" said one poster propped against the tree. Teens in gym suits hugged each other and sobbed. Others lit candles in memory of their friends.
The teens appear to have been at a party before the crash, Deerfield Deputy Police Chief Rick Wilk said.
"We suspect alcohol or cannabis" was a factor, based on evidence at the scene as well as interviews police conducted, Wilk said. "We don't know if all of them were drinking," he said.
They may have been heading to another party at a home near the crash site, friends said.
Grandi's grandfather, Jim Grandi, said Angelo was "fine." He said Bell was one of his grandson's best friends.
"We're certainly thankful, and we feel deeply for the families that lost their loved ones," Jim Grandi said. "We're just grateful our grandson is OK."
Police originally thought four people were in the car but later learned a fifth person -- Abreu -- had gone home.
"He should have just stayed there," said Wilk, adding that he does not think Abreu will face charges for leaving.
It could be a week before police can determine how fast Bell was driving in the 25 mph zone, Wilk said.
Bell had been working at a construction job since graduation, said a cousin, Nick Anderson, a Deerfield High senior. "He really liked car mechanics," Anderson said. "His car was souped up."
Trace was a popular soccer player and pole vaulter.
"He had a goal in our last game," said soccer team captain Adam London. "He was a really good teammate."
Trace attended Friday night's football game and participated in a tradition in which seniors gather at Deerfield's town square afterward, London said. He was supposed to ride in a homecoming parade scheduled for Saturday, London said. The parade was canceled, but the school decided to continue with a Saturday night homecoming dance.
"Ross would not want us to miss the dance," senior Lindzy Ruttenberg said through tears. "We don't have to do our hair or put on makeup. We just want to be there together."
'When will it sink in?'
The crash reminded several students of a drunken-driving crash simulation performed every four years on the school's football field. Two wrecked cars are placed on the field, and actors pretend to be victims. "I saw it my freshman year," said senior Josh Gross. "A friend of mine was talking about it yesterday. It's hard to forget."
Mark Richmond, who lives near the crash site, shook his head as he surveyed a pack of mourning teens standing in his driveway. "This is a terrible wake-up call," he said. "'Do not drink and drive.' When will it sink in?"
When the Deerfield High School track and field team needed a pole vaulter, Ross Trace stepped up.
Never mind that Trace was a sophomore competing in the long jump and high jump. Through natural athleticism and hard work, he qualified for state in the pole vault his junior year.
"His spirit was so powerful as a competitor," said Maury Fisher, a family friend who grew up with Trace's father.
Ross Trace and his twin brother, Jesse, both seniors at Deerfield, had planned to attend college together in Santa Barbara, Calif. Jesse Trace also was a track standout and soccer player.
Around school, they were well-known, well-liked and inseparable -- Ross the "free spirit," Jesse on the quieter side, Fisher said.
"How many kids wear a seat belt, for crying out loud?" Fisher said. "He wears a seat belt, and he gets killed. It hurts too much to even try and sort that out."
Relatives of Bell could not be reached for comment Saturday.
Two weeks ago, one of Trace's half brothers was married at the family's Riverwoods home.
"Now, we have basically the same people walking through that house, feeling lost," Fisher said.