WCNC

Three teenagers died in a car accident in Bessemer city Saturday night.

BESSEMER CITY -- Three high school students killed in a head-on collision were remembered Monday. The school's auditorium was packed with classmates talking to grief counselors.

A teacher at Bessemer City High School said in a statement, "Jonathan Lynn was the type of person that I or anyone else would have been proud and fortunate to call their son." Another said Amber Vasquez, “was a mature young lady with a wonderful sense of humor." Zachary Elliott was described as soul full of love and happiness that was spread to each individual who encountered him."

North Carolina Highway Patrol said Lynn, 17, Vasquez, 17, and Elliot, 17, died after the car they were riding in lost control on a curve on Sparrow Springs Road near Crowders Mountain Golf Club. The Volkswagen Jetta crashed into an oncoming car.

A woman in that car is in Gaston Memorial Hospital with a broken arm and a bruise on her heart, according to her grandson. Coincidentally, she lives across the street from Lynn. An 8-year-old girl who was in the car is banged up but okay.

Troopers said speed was a factor in the crash, but drugs and alcohol were not. They said an examination of the skid marks revealed the driver was going 80 miles per hour in a 35 mph zone.

They also said that statistically the road is not a dangerous one and there were only 16 accidents along Sparrow Springs Road in 2006.  

A woman identifying herself as Jonathan Lynn's aunt said Lynn was airlifted to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte after the accident, but died during surgery. The crash happened just about a mile from his home.

Suzanne Calaway said her nephew would have graduated in May.

State Troopers said Zachary Ruffner, another student at Bessemer City High School, was behind the wheel. He survived the accident and witnesses said he was led away in handcuffs. Monday morning troopers said their investigation was 90 percent complete. They also said they are taking the case to the district attorney at the end of the week to see if any charges will be filed.

A search revealed that Ruffner was on his school's moot court mock trial team in 2005, and served as a junior marshal for the 2006 commencement.

Neighbors who live near the accident site said they knew someone must have gotten hurt as soon as they heard the crash.

"It was like a bomb going off," said Michelle McAlister, who lives nearby. "We heard it slide way down the road, and then we heard a big crash."

McAlister said she ran outside and found the teens wrapped in twisted metal. A boy later identified as Zachary Elliott was already dead. McAlister said she and another woman could hear Amber Vasquez struggling to breathe.

"I was holding the girl's hand trying to keep her breathing, talking to her," said McAlister. "She'd take a few breaths here and there ... and just let go."

Sunday, broken glass and debris littered the roadside in front of McAlister's house, and she said she has a front seat to wrecks far too often.

She said she never wants sees something like this again.

"I hope all teenagers see this and open their eyes," said McAlister. "This shouldn't have happened."

Students are devastated according to the Bessemer City High School Principal, Ted Saunders. He had teachers read a statement to students this morning during first period. Several students are taking advantage of the grief counselors that are on hand at the school. Counselor Larry Carpenter said it’s not only tough on students, but on his staff as well.

“It’s difficult to see young people in so much pain,” Carpenter said Monday morning.

The principal will soon meet with staff and other senior students to plan a memorial service.

WCNC reporters Nicole Konkal, Diana Rugg and Melissa Martin contributed information used in this report.