Crash stuns families - Late-night collision on narrow rural road in Cleburne kills 1 teen, injures 6

The words of Cleburne High School principal Justin Marchel seemed haunting Saturday, just one day after he had uttered them to students.

"The last thing I told them as they got out for Christmas break was to be careful because we wanted them all to come back next year," said Mr. Marchel, in his first year as principal of the 1,600-student school.

Hours later, junior Steven Bivins, 17, was dead and six other teens were injured after a head-on collision at the top of a hill along narrow County Road 1112, better known as Old Foamy Road.

State troopers continued their investigation Saturday into the accident, which occurred about 11 p.m. Friday on a rural road about 55 miles southwest of Dallas. It was not known whether alcohol was a factor, but speed almost certainly was, authorities said.

"It appears that the speed limit was being violated," said Department of Public Safety Trooper Doug Hart, investigating the crash. "This is major destruction."

Both cars - a westbound Ford Mustang driven by Steven and an eastbound Mercury Sable driven by Ryan Michael Rust, 16, of Keene - were destroyed in the accident. Debris littered the road and surrounding fields.

The passengers were identified as Breck Abbie and Holly Maddox, both 14, of Cleburne; Larry Trevino, 17, and Berman Quiroz, 17, of Keene; and Jason Baltazar, 16, of Joshua.

Breck, who was Steven's girlfriend, and Larry were treated and released from Fort Worth-area hospitals, authorities said. Berman was at Harris Methodist Fort Worth hospital Saturday along with Holly, who was treated for a broken jaw and is expected to be released Sunday.

Ryan was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital, where he had surgery for a broken femur and pelvic bone. Jason, who suffered facial cuts, went to the same hospital.

Breck and Holly attend Cleburne High School. Jason and Ryan are juniors at Keene High School. It was unclear where Berman and Larry were enrolled.

Barney Maddox, Holly's father, said that his daughter doesn't remember the collision but that he believes Old Foamy Road has been the scene of previous fatal accidents because of its treacherously narrow width.

"I've taken it hundreds of times," he said from the hospital. "There are several places in that road that if you are not wary and the other car is not wary, they'll hit each other. It is just a little bitty road."

"That road is just one lane," Mr. Moore said. "Two cars have a hard time passing. Everybody used to be afraid to go out there."

Johnson County law enforcement officials said Old Foamy Road, which has a 40-mph speed limit, is a longtime hangout for area teens, a place where they gather to drag race and sometimes drink.

Mr. Moore said that although he believes that his stepson was "probably speeding," to his knowledge, the youngster did not drink.

"He was a good kid, no problems," Mr. Moore said. "He had just gone to take his girlfriend out to eat [in Fort Worth], and then they came back to Cleburne and were just messing around."

Mr. Moore said that about midnight, his wife received a frantic call from Breck, who tried to tell them about the accident. They initially thought Steven had been taken by helicopter to a Fort Worth hospital.

"Steven didn't even make it to the helicopter," Mr. Moore said. "He was dead at the scene. His mom is pretty torn up about it. That was her baby.

Randy Allen, Steven's soccer coach at Cleburne High, said the teen had been looking forward to soccer season.

"He was really a neat kid," he said. "He was excited about the chance to move up from the junior varsity to the varsity this year. He was not a gregarious, outgoing kind of kid, but one who would do whatever he was told. ... He was going to turn into a good varsity player."

Mr. Moore said he also was hurting for Breck, who recently lost her father to a heart attack.

A woman at the Abbie home Saturday declined to talk about the accident. Relatives and friends of several of the other teens involved also declined to comment.

The Cleburne crash was eerily similar to one four years ago in Brock in which four teenagers were killed by a drunken driver six days before Christmas. Mr. Marchel, who lives in Weatherford - which, like Brock, is in Parker County - said Friday's accident made him realize even more how fragile life is.

"It's devastating any time you lose kids with so much to offer," he said. "They've got their whole lives ahead of them one second, and the next second they're gone. I've always tried to treat these kids like they're my own, and this really hurts."

"Steven didn't even make it to the helicopter," Mr. Moore said. "He was dead at the scene. His mom is pretty torn up about it. That was her baby.
"It's going to be a bad Christmas."

Oh, my....that just about says it all.

In The Name of The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit!!

Give peace to these families and heal the injured, if it be Thy Will!!

Amen

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