Following an automobile accident on Friday night that involved four other middle and high school students, a 14-year-old middle school student has passed away. The Ohio State Highway Patrol reports that the collision occurred in Canaan Township just before 4:15 p.m. on Canaan Center Road close to E. Sterling Road. According to OSHP, the 17-year-old lost control of the vehicle and veered over the side of the road while heading north. According to OSHP, the vehicle struck two terrain islands and a ditch before repeatedly rolling over. The catastrophe claimed the life of Creston resident Aurora Krahenbuhl, 14. With only minor wounds, the driver, a 13-year-old, and a 14-year-old were all sent to the hospital. According to OSHP, a passenger who was fifteen years old was also admitted to the hospital with severe injuries. Head of Department
Superintendent Leatherman said all five victims in the crash were Norwayne Local Schools middle and high school students.
Superintendent Leatherman canceled the high school homecoming football game Friday night due to the crash.
Creston Community Church opened their doors to the public Friday night as soon as they heard about the tragedy.
“It’s devastating,” said Josh Chaffin Pastor of Creston Community Church. “We don’t have a lot of tragedies here. Small close-knit town, family vibe but when tragedies like this happen of course we do what families do, they come together so as soon as we heard about this some ladies at our church asked me if they could come and unlock the building and just open it up for anyone that would want to come and gather and just support one another and pray so that’s what we’ve been doing for the last couple of hours now.”
The Pastor said their doors will stay open as long as the community needs them.
“Tonight was the homecoming game and I know that some of the students had already arrived when the news broke and they made an announcement and my understanding is I wasn’t there, but my understanding is that quite a few people that were there gathered on the football stadium, on the field, did a big prayer circle.”
He encouraged those grieving to come into the church and pray.
“I would just say as a man of faith it’s important to remember that in the high times of life in the mountain tops, God is there but he’s also there in the valleys and I think oftentimes when we go through life’s deepest struggles that’s actually when we experience God the most. So my encouragement to people would be that in the midst of your suffering, in the midst of this difficult time to lean into God and he’s there for us.”
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