An SUV Breaks Down, And Then Tragedy

Four teens were killed while pushing it
By Luke Roney,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 27, 2018 5:03 PM CDT
Teens Killed While Pushing Disabled SUV
Jackie Watson, mother of crash victim Brittany Watson, comforts Madaline Kerkhof, sister of victim Naveh Law, during a prayer vigil at Seymour High School on Sunday.   (Jordan Richart/The Tribune via AP)

Four Indiana teens are dead after they were struck from behind while pushing an SUV that had broken down near the home where they were attending a slumber party. Jenna Helton, 14; Nevaeh Law, 14; Brittany Watson, 15; and Martin Martinez, 16, were among eight kids who were helping to push the disabled Chevy Suburban along State Road 258 near Cortland around 11 p.m. on Saturday, the Seymour Tribune reports. They were killed when Elizabeth Watson, 24, slammed her 2018 Chevrolet Traverse into the back of the Suburban. The Suburban had stopped running a block from 37-year-old Cara Selby's home, where the family was hosting a sleepover to celebrate the birthday of Selby's daughter, Victoria Valdivia. The kids had come outside to help push it home.

The other four teens pushing the Suburban sustained injuries of varying severity. Three of them were airlifted to hospitals, per WDRB. The teens who were killed attended two high schools in the area. Principals at both schools tell the Tribune that they plan to make help available to grieving students. "We pray for peace, comfort, and understanding as we go through this together," Seymour High School Principal Greg Prange said. The crash is still under investigation, and no charges are pending against Elizabeth Watson (who is not related to Brittany Watson, who was one of the teens killed) at this time. A memorial of flowers and balloons has been erected near the accident scene. (More Indiana stories.)

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