Things were a little crazy today — what, with Dina’s funeral and all. I don’t think I have the heart to post a full-fledged entry right now.
Hell, I will say that it was incredible that over 1400 people showed up to say goodbye to Dina. She was truly a wonderful person, and there are no words that I could even put down here to do her justice. Check out Stacey’s Xanga to catch her response, written to Dina, the day after the accident. It’s really from the heart. Dina meant a hell of a lot to her, and this whole thing’s been really hard on her.
For those that don’t know what happened, I’ve placed the AP article below:
2 killed, 1 hurt in crash near Hancock
Speed, alcohol possible factors
BY JIM WRIGHTHANCOCK — A crash early Tuesday in the Town of Hancock killed a driver and passenger, and forced an occupant with a broken leg to drag himself up a steep embankment.
The Route 97 crash went unnoticed for nearly five hours, until Robbie Porter, 22, of Glasgow, Scotland, pulled himself up the embankment and was spotted by a passing motorist, state police said.
State police said alcohol and speed may have been contributing factors in the crash, which occurred about 2:30 a.m. near Lordville Road, 4 to 5 miles southeast of the Village of Hancock.
Driver Christopher D. Cloppas, 25, of San Antonio, Texas, and front-seat passenger Dina M. Goldstone, 19, of Wynnewood, Pa., were pronounced dead at the scene by Delaware County Medical Examiner Dr. Richard J. Ucci, of Stamford. Porter, who suffered a broken leg and other injuries, was listed in fair condition at Wilson Memorial Regional Medical Center in Johnson City, said a nursing supervisor.
The 2003 Mazda four-door sedan was northbound at a “high rate of speed” when the vehicle left the roadway off the east shoulder, careened down an embankment and struck several trees, state police said. The car literally “broke up” upon impact with the trees, coming to rest in a wooded area about 30 feet from the highway, investigators said.
All three occupants were wearing seat belts, according to state police. Cloppas was partially ejected from the vehicle, said Capt. Eric C. Janis of state police in Binghamton. The other two remained in the car, Janis said. Goldstone’s death was attributed to massive trauma to the head and chest.
The area where the crash occurred is very rural, which is why the accident went unreported until a motorist saw Porter at 7:21 a.m., investigators said.
The three were believed to have been returning to the Frenchwoods Summer Camp, a performing arts center located on Route 97.
An investigation by New York State Police at Deposit, the Troop C Collision Reconstruction Unit and the Troop C Forensic Identification Unit continues. The Hancock Fire Department and the New York State Department of Transportation assisted state police at the crash scene.
The crash was the second double-fatality in two days involving a single vehicle. Early Monday, two Spencer men were killed when their car crashed into a group of trees in the Town of Spencer.
A painful reminder — don’t drink and drive, folks.
