Friends Gather To Remember 2 Palmer Ridge High Students Who Died
MONUMENT, Colo. (CBS4) - A 17-year-old boy from Parker has been arrested following a deadly crash in El Paso County that killed two Palmer Ridge High School students.
The two teens, who were passengers in the boy's car, were killed and a third was critically hurt.
Police say the driver was possibly drunk and speeding when he lost control and the vehicle he was driving at 1 a.m. on Monday. The crash happened on East Baptist Assembly Road when the car went airborn and crashed into a tree.
At the school in Monument on Monday night friends and family members gathered to remember the students -- Beau Begier, 17, and Ryan Pappas, 18, both of Monument.
"I can't even fathom it," said senior Ryan Best at the gathering. "Bo Beezer and Ryan Pappas were two of the greatest people I've ever met."
Memories of the boys were shared and a focus was put on moving forward.
"You've got to watch out for your friends," said Best, who spoke at the vigil and is the student body president.
"Senior year is going to be a lot different now," he said. "Especially in a small town like this you feel the pain. You really do."
His message was to cherish the memories but also to emphasize what can be learned.
"A lot of what was said was 'Let's learn from this. Everybody get together and make sure that everybody's doing the right thing.' "
Principal Gary Gable said the school has counselors available for any student who needs it.
"It's obviously not how we would like to start but the class of 2015 is very tight and very connected," Gable said. "The days are not going to be easy but we're going to get through it and depend on one another."
The teen who remains in the hospital after the crash was formerly a student at the school and is a 17-year-old from Monument.
