University of Georgia President Jere Morehead asked for thoughts and prayers for the families of four UGA students killed in a horrific traffic accident Wednesday night in a somber Thursday morning press conference.
”Let us draw together as a UGA family and care for each other,” said Morehead, who added he’d “not really” slept since learning of the accident on Georgia Highway 15 in Oconee County shortly after 9 p.m. Wednesday.
Morehead said the students, all young women, were “actively involved in our campus community” in Greek and religious organizations, but did not identify them nor their specific activities. He said it would be best to leave it to their families to tell about their activities.
The Georgia State Patrol has identified the students as Kayla Canedo, 19, of Alpharetta; Brittany Feldman, 20, of Alpharetta; Christina Semeria, 19, of Milton; and Halle Scott, 19, of Dunwoody. A fifth UGA student, Agnes Kim, 21, of Snellville, was hospitalized in critical condition.
Police investigators believe the Toyota Camry Kim was driving crossed the centerline and collided with a Chevrolet Cobalt driven by Abby Short, 27, of Demorest.
The university and its community of around 50,000 people — students and workers — lose some of its members every year; for the past several years, UGA has held a spring memorial service to honor those people who’ve died in the past year. This year’s memorial is scheduled for Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the UGA Chapel. There would also be a chance to remember the students who died Wednesday later Thursday at 5 p.m. at the Tate Student Center Plaza, Morehead said.
“Any time you lose a young person that has their entire life in front of them, it’s a terrible tragedy,” Morehead said.
• View more photos from the reactions on campus.
But Morehead couldn’t recall any loss like this one at UGA.
“I’ve been at this institution 31 years, and I do not ever recall an event of this tragedy or magnitude. This is something the university hasn’t faced before. We will face it and give support to each other,” Morehead said. “Obviously, none of us can imagine what the families are going through this morning.”
Morehead said he’d spoken with all but one of the families of the young women, and was still trying to get in touch with that family.
Earlier Thursday he was at Athens Regional Medical Center, where Kim was taken. UGA Police Chief Jimmy Williamson and Oconee County Sheriff Scott Berry also spent much of the night at the hospital, said Williamson, who was also at Thursday’s press conference.
Morehead canceled a regularly scheduled meeting of top administrators and a press conference on general affairs already scheduled for Thursday.
Administrators did not yet know Thursday morning why the young women were traveling down U.S. Highway 15 between Watkinsville and Greensboro.
“We really don’t know the nature of the trip at this time,” said UGA Vice President for Student Affairs Victor Wilson.
University counselors are available to help those who reach out, as well as members of the Campus Ministry Association, Wilson said.
Follow education reporter Lee Shearer at www.facebook.com/LeeShearerABH or https://twitter.com/LeeShearer.
