CAMPTOWN -- It will be a somber first day of school Tuesday in Wyalusing. For the second year in a row, a senior has died before classes begin.
This year it was Brendan Hall, one of two young men killed in a crash in Bradford County Saturday night.
Grief counselors were at the high school on Monday.
Wyalusing Valley High School has actually had a student die unexpectedly three out of the past four years.
The principal says while the school has learned how to help students cope, it never gets any easier.
Somber teenagers and their parents came to the spot in Camptown where two 18 year olds died in a crash Saturday night.
State police say Brendan Hall and Colin Flynn were riding in their friend Troy Stone's pickup truck when Stone tried to pass one vehicle on Route 706. The pickup hit an oncoming car, crashed into the woods, and tumbled down an embankment.
The crash site is so steep that it is hard for mourners to find a spot to place a tribute. Somebody left a rose up in a tree.
Troopers suspect the 19-year-old driver Troy Stone was drinking and speeding.
Colin Flynn, one of the victims, recently graduated from Towanda Area High School.
"He knew how to make some jokes quite a bit," said Gage Whipple of New Albany. "He was a funny kid. He was one of the smartest kids I knew."
Autumn McGrath, the best friend of victim Brendan Hall, is devastated.
"He always talked about how much money he was going to make and how successful he was going to be," she sobbed.
The burden at Hall's school is especially heavy. He was set to start his senior year at Wyalusing Valley. This is the second year in a row a senior there has died over the summer.
Grief counselors are on hand once again.
"It definitely doesn't get any easier. It is a tough situation, very sad," said Wyalusing Valley High School Principal Gary Otis.
The driver, Troy Stone, is a popular recent graduate, which adds to the sadness at the high school.
Last year, Stone won a scholarship that honors a student who died in a motorcycle wreck.
"As a school we can offer support to everybody involved. Everybody needs support in this situation and that is what we like to do," said Otis.
Two women who were injured in that crash are still in the hospital, but are expected to survive.
Troy Stone has not been arrested or charged.
This deadly crash has left some parents in Bradford County wondering what it will take to stop the loss of young lives.
One mother we met at the crash scene along Route 706 says the focus needs to be on more than emotions.
"Look at what happened and realize why it happened, and try to break this constant circle. We are losing so many young kids," said Nichole Pivaral of Wyalusing.
The principal at Wyalusing Valley says educators need to not only console students, but also use the loss as a lesson.
"We try to educate students and teach students how to better handle a situation in the future."
Wyalusing Valley High School plans to start the school day Tuesday with a special meeting for seniors.
