Nemacolin Crash

Fayettenamese, a few of our own need some prayers tonight. Five teenagers were injured in a crash near Nemacolin on Wednesday night.

Owner Joe Hardy's teenage daughter was among them. I had no idea Joe Hardy had kids that young, but whatever. My cracks about that are irrelevant and unnecessary because she was seriously injured.

As a part-time journalist, I understand that her involvement is extremely newsworthy and a fair focus point for the articles. However, she's not the one in the worst condition--Zack Nelson, the child of one of my mom's co-workers, is.

Previously, Zack's brain wasn't really responding. Today, he was briefly taken off his ventilator and did take a breath on his own, so there is some hope. Not to mention the prayers--some of my mom's co-worker's said a rosary tonight, there was a vigil at the cross in Jumonville tonight (we unfortunately didn't know), and friends of his have been staying in the hospital. If you can spare a few minutes to chip in a prayer, everyone--even me, and I only met Zack one time--would appreciate it. I'm not known as a good, churchgoing Catholic, but I am a great believer in the power of prayers and started a novena.

Now, the details: the driver had been drinking, lost control of the car, and hit a tree.

Pittsburgh's WTAE got an interview with one of the girls not seriously injured. 

True, driving drunk is an incredibly terrible decision and should never, ever be done. Someone's life is always at risk, whether the driver's, his or her passengers', or other travelers out on the road. Driving drunk is not a risk worth taking, and this accident is proof. Even if all the kids are okay, who knows what complications and troubles could face them later in life? The driver has already been charged and is in a juvenile detention center. No good can come of this.

That said, the kids are all still victims, especially if--as one the girls has said--they didn't know their driver was drunk, plus it's clear from the interview above that this is not easy for them. Just because someone made a horrible mistake doesn't mean these kids should be blamed, judged, or disregarded at a time when they need prayers and support the most. The most important thing right now is that we all be considerate of what they and their loved ones are going through--not brush their needs aside because someone was drinking.

So, Fayettenamese, above all, be good to each other in tough times such as these. Learn from the support of others, and make smart decisions.