Auto accident claims multiple teen lives

Anderson County emergency personnel attend victims of the fatality accident which followed the Buffalo/Elkhart game on Friday evening. Tragically, one of the volunteer firemen who was a first responder at the scene was the father of one of the deceased students. Van’Go’photo Buffalo football fans heading home from Friday night's game were among the first on the scene of a tragic one-car accident that took the lives of three Anderson County teens and left three others hospitalized. The accident occurred at 9:50 p.m. -- just about the time the game ended and the announcer offered a prayer for the safety of everyone travelling home on the rain-slick roads.

According to the DPS report by Palestine Trooper Brent Taylor, the 2003 Chevy coupe driven by 16-year-old Brandon Michael Love of Palestine was southbound on CR 133. Love apparently failed to note the stop sign at the intersection of CR 133 and Highway 294. The Chevy travelled to the right side of the county road, struck a tree with the front right of the vehicle and rolled several times before landing upright on the south ditch of the highway. Love was seatbelted, but none of the five passengers in the car were wearing restraining belts, and some -- if not all -- were thrown from the car as it rolled.

Three teens were pronounced dead at the scene at 11:20 p.m. by Anderson County JP James Todd. The deceased were: Kelsi Lynn Seal (age 15 of Palestine), Evan Joseph Luna (age 15 of Palestine) and Sadie Warren (age 15 of Elkhart). Two others, Christa Denman (age 15 from Palestine) and Charles Blake DeFore (age 15 of Palestine) were life-flighted to Parkland Hospital where they were both listed in critical condition with head and internal injuries. The young driver was transported to Palestine Regional Medical Hospital where he was listed in fair condition with abrasions.

DPS Sergeant Jimmy Johnson was quoted in the Palestine newspaper as stating that there was no indication of alcohol being a contributing factor to the accident, but suggested that it was speed related.