STANDISH, Maine — Several cars filled with Saint Joseph’s College students were racing north on Chadbourne Road — at one point playing a game of “leapfrog” — on Saturday when the lead vehicle lost control, rolled over several times and ejected student athlete Clark Noonan, who died at the scene.
Capt. Shawn O’Leary of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday said several cars containing students were behind the Mazda 626 sedan driven by fellow student Tyler Hall, 19, of Pittston, that crashed at 1:30 a.m. The other cars arrived at the accident scene just seconds later.
“It was a very, very chaotic scene,” the captain said. “Everybody was very emotionally distraught. They were just so totally in shock. It was just awful.”
At least one of the stunned students did everything possible to help those injured, including Noonan, O’Leary said.
“One Saint Joseph’s kid attempted CPR,” he said.
Hall, James Philbrook, 20, of Auburn and Terence Cullen, 21, were injured in the rollover and taken to an area hospital. The sports car ended up entangled in a chain-link fence.
The crash scene — with injured students, others in shock, and one dead — was overwhelming, even for some of the responding deputies, O’Leary said.
“It was horrible, tragic event,” he said. “It was very upsetting for a lot of deputies,” some of whom have children enrolled at the college.
Noonan was a sophomore business major and basketball player for the Monks. He had been a star student athlete at Bangor High School.
A candlelight vigil was held Monday night at Saint Joseph’s College and more than 700 students, family and friends attended his memorial service on Tuesday in Bangor.
Early indications are that the teenage driver was not drinking, but a blood test was taken just to be sure, which is required whenever there is a fatal crash, Capt. Don Goulet of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office has said.
Others in the car may have been drinking, he said, adding that the fatal crash is still under investigation.
“We’re also doing an investigation into where they came from,” O’Leary said. “We’re still putting everything together. We’ve interviewed everybody and have a good idea what took place” and are awaiting toxicology tests to complete the accident report.
No charges have been filed.
Minutes before Hall lost control of his car, he and another driver in the student convoy were involved in a game of “leapfrog,” O’Leary said. He said the road game — in which cars pass each other again and again — took place before the accident.
The game ended when when the other driver decided to stop playing and took a left when the convoy reached the four-way stop at the junction of Chadbourne Road and Route 114.
Hall proceeded on Chadbourne Road and crashed shortly after leaving the intersection, O’Leary said.
It’s common occurrence each spring for students and young adults to get into such car accidents, the veteran law enforcement officer said.
“Hopefully, other students will see this tragedy and think twice about drinking and driving and speeding around,” O’Leary said.
We hope.
“No charges have been filed.”
yet
If my child died in that accident, someone had better be held responsible..
There is not any one person who can be held responsible for this. There were many people at fault.
Wrong. The driver of the vehicle that crashed is responsible. I’d expect charges against Tyler Hall. I believe it would be vehicular manslaughter.
http://www.criminaldefenselawyer.com/crime-penalties/federal/Vehicular-manslaughter.htm
Yes, only one person at fault, the person driving………ok, maybe two, the passenger for not demanding to get out of the car! I once had to forcefully demand someone to pull over as I leaped out of the car, if I hadn’t, she would have killed me, I’m certain of it!
You do not know any of the details of this accident. This article does not tell the story. I am best friends with one of the passengers in that car, and he was not at fault trust me. Say what you want but no one on here knows the specific details.
If only the young could have the wisdom of old age to get them through life and help them make wise choices….the old could then have the folly of youth to help them enjoy their final days.
In order to be old and wise, one must first be young and stupid. :-)
Last I knew a 626 wasn’t a sportscar BDN. Its a tragedy the young man is dead, but really do you need to misinform and spin it to make the story into something it isn’t. Its bad enough he is dead, but don’t misinform people to make the story.
If it were a sports car, how would that change the story? It would appear that these young drivers could have been playing that game with any type of car.
the new ones are pretty fast cars.
Mazda has not made a new 626 in some years. Mazda’s 6 is a sportier car. I don’t know how or why the mistake was initially made, but this seems to be a plausible explanation. — Andrew Catalina, Digital Desk
Mazda made the 626 until 2002. Over the years they actually did produce some 626 models that some people would consider “sporty.” Years ago a sports car was an MGB, Spitfire or Austin Healy. Today, almost any car with a sunroof and fancy wheels could be considered a “Sports Car.”by some. Regardless, a wonderful young man has been lost. His freinds and family are devastated and the type of car involved just could not be less important.
The v6 package was still pretty peppy, and the car is relatively light, so with power/weight ratio it would concievably be able to accelerate and maintain a higher rate of speed.
”
The final Mazda 626 rolled off the Flat Rock, Michigan assembly plant on August 30, 2002.”
V61998–20022.5 L KLG4 V6170 hp (130 kW)163 lb·ft (221 N·m”
Duly noted. Thank you. — Andrew Catalina, Digital Desk
Most cars today will do over 100mph even the small 4 cylinders . Maybe a chevette from the early 80s only had like 60hp and would top end at 85mph But most today’s cars have at least twice that.
Thats right…spin it the right way. Recklessness is the cause for most crashes. Well that is negligence. Accidents are when a deer runs in front of you and damages your vehicle
When playing games, such a leapfrog, with a vehicle, the driver has no respect of life for the others in the vehicle. Nobody comes out a winner! My condolences for this young man’s family.
“Minutes before Hall lost control of his car, he and another driver in the student convoy were involved in a game of “leapfrog,” O’Leary said. He said the road game — in which cars pass each other again and again — took place before the accident.”
The game took place before the accident? Not after the accident? That’s good to know.
As in not during the accident. The game did not appear to cause it.
This is just such a tragic and sad situation but let’s be honest….just because this was a popular young man who was killed let’s not forget to say BDN that this was a STUPID and RECKLESS “game”…I felt like the tone of the article was “oh, those darn kids”…comments like “It’s common occurrence each spring for students and young adults to
get into such car accidents, the veteran law enforcement officer said.” and “Hopefully, other students will see this tragedy and think twice about drinking and driving and speeding around,” O’Leary said.” is a little blase. I think that all of the students who were taking part in this game should be made to go speak at high schools/driving schools.
These kids are making choices that they cannot possibly comprehend the aftermath of. Reckless driving does not just put THEIR lives at risk it also puts mine and my family’s life in danger as well as everyone else on the road. We need to start fighting for MUCH more strict rules and punishments for reckless driving. There should be no chances here…you are behind the wheel of a deadly weapon – PERIOD.
My condolences for this young man’s family.
Right on. Hopefully a full and complete investigation will be based on the facts, evidence and IF charges are warranted, then the DA’s Office will bring them. There, BDN is that more polite and not offensive. HOpe my comment doesn’t get delted. Based on this article, Manslaughter is a possibility. Shame
STUPID STUPID STUPID STUPID STUPID!!!! Parents, teach your kids that a vehicle is a 4,000 pound weapon and must be treated gently – like a loaded gun.
Sometimes you can talk to them until you are blue in the face and try to teach them right from wrong and the dangers and consequences of their actions. Regardless, 9 times out of 10, every single one of them WILL try something stupid in their lifetimes. Some of them survive it, some of them don’t. Very unfortunate, but true nonetheless.
Instead of parents saying, “You might hurt yourself”, they should say, “You might hurt or kill someone else and then you’ll go to prison for it.” Sadly, prison seems more of a deterrent to kids’ actions than physically harming themselves or others.
I’ve said it before, put these mangled wrecks on the lawn at school for them to walk by every day. Unpleasent and sobering yes, but if it prevents another horrific scene as described in this story. “Everybody was very emotionally distraught.” “It was just awful.” “The crash scene was overwhelming, even for some of the responding deputies.”
Yep. Where I used to live, they actually did that.
Camp Lejeune has wrecked cars on display that drunk Marines crashed and died in. I think it would do everyone a service to see the reality of irresponsible actions. It’s scary but young people are almost always fearless. Life can be gone in an instant though.
One of those Marines was a friend of mine. It was a long time ago, but I learned a very valuable lesson when I was informed of the accident. I realized that if it could happen to a friend, it could happen to me.
I read these stories at an alarmingly increasing rate and wonder why it just keeps happening more and more. I constantly talk to my kids about crazy driving and driving when someone has been drinking. I hope it sinks in. I’m positive the kids involved in this accident were good kids. It is a good thing that the driver was apparently not drinking. However, you still must respect the power of the vehicle in which you command.
My heartfelt condolences go out to everybody involved in this accident. Especially the family of Mr. Noonan. A tragic event indeed.
You were probably old enough to comprehend, or just one of the lucky ones. It doesnt work that way with a lot of them, its not just teens though, college kids up to the age of 30 who dont take drving seriously.
It wouldn’t change anything………
That may help…MAYBE. But still. My son saw quite the emotionally distressing accident in which a person was killed and 2 others significantly injured, and he lost a friend. Still didn’t stop his teenage urge to be stupid. Thankfully I have more eyes in my home town that he had ever imagine and I was not afraid to revoke his driving PRIVILEGES when he got caught. For some kids, however, that opportunity for parents to intervene doesn’t happen. Very sad.
That is why you buy them something they have to fix up, smash some knuckles, get some oil and grease on them and basically learn to maintain the car and have some skin in the game. Instead parents today want the kids to focus on sports, school activities and then hand them the keys to the car. Kids are clueless and pull this non-sense! I bet if the driver had spent even one day in the hot sun or cold wrenching on that car he wouldnt pull such a stupid stunt or better yet he probably would of wanted to modify the car and take it to say NEDW to see what it could do at the strip!
I agree that it is wise to have children work for what they have. Certainly doesn’t convince me that kids will never try stupid things though. Sorry. My son built his own truck and has been working on restoring vehicles since he was old enough to hold a wrench. His first vehicle (the one he was being stupid in) cost him $800, money that he worked to purchase. He replaced the engine, transmission, and worked to purchase the tools he needed to give it a paint job. Kids will do these things. It’s horrible, it’s unfortunate, and sometimes the parents are to blame for having no PG over their kids, but I still am convinced that 9 out of 10 of them do it. And if I only had a dollar who said their children would NEVER do that because they did all of the right things when raising them, I’d be wealthy (especially if I had an extra dollar for everyone of those kids I’ve caught or overhead stories from who have tried the same stupid things).
My grandfather is going to be 74 years old this year. Some of the things he’s told me about his youth would make parents today cringe and pray that their children wouldn’t do such foolishness. Thankfully some of the things he’s only told me in recent years now that I’m old enough not to do such crazy things (but I’d have had to try them when I was younger) but you give most people an opportunity to be stupid in their teens and early 20’s and they’re going to do it. It’s not a generational thing it’s a youth thing.
Good insight. It really is a youth thing.
Senseless and avoidable. So sorry to his family and friends.
Can’t anyone read? The article says that they were not playing this game at the time of the accident. Therefore it has no bearing on the accident.
Racing north at the time of the accident? Thats what I read.
“The game ended when when the other driver decided to stop playing and took a left when the convoy reached the four-way stop at the junction of Chadbourne Road and Route 114.”
That is what I read, maybe you should learn to read. Racing is just a synonym for driving, speeding, cruising, etc.
Yes they should have been giving the safe driver of the year award.
I am not condoning the actions of the driver, I am only saying the game of “leap frog” was not a direct factor in this accident. For all we know they could have been driving normally, and non-recklessly.
Teens early 20s Ya they could have been driving normally at the time but it just isn’t very likely. When I made a comment about perhaps the driving post about the death I was flagged. I also made a post about another case . well you know what I mean sometimes it is not the time or the place you will be flagged or barred from posting. Kid need to learn how dangerous cars are. Like all the people defending 16 year old drivers as appose to 20 year old drivers I think you will find 16 year old do not drive as many miles as a 20 year old and mile for mile they are more dangerous .
Vehicles don’t roll over several times when driven normally. The police will do the investigation and the driver will face the music. That’s the way it works in adulthood.
Seriously ?? They were playing the game at some point that night. That fact alone makes one question their judgement in a vehicle. For u to say it had no bearing on the accident is ridiculous..An accident can happen in a split second. Let’s not quibble with words, and undermine the seriousness of what happened. My heart goes out to all. If all u got out of the article was that they “were not playing at the time of the accident”, then maybe u need to read it again…
Undermine the seriousness? I know more than anybody on this site about what happened that night. My best friend was in that vehicle, so don’t you dare question whether I know how serious this is. They were playing that game “at some point” as you said. However the article is clear in saying the game was no longer happening when this occurred. You can question what happened all you want but I know for a fact that there was nothing resembling any kind of horseplay happening at the time of this accident.
The fact that they were playing the game AT ALL is absolutely an issue. If the game caused the accident or not isn’t really the point. It DOES go to show that these were reckless, inexperienced, drivers. Teens who believe that they are invincible seems to be an epidemic. I understand that that has been the case for centuries with the exception that there are so many more distractions these days. Cars are faster, come with more gadgets, cell phones, media that glamorizes reckless behavior, drugs are more deadly, parents are less involved….and the biggest troubling fact of all is that there is ZERO accountability and or consequences. Very sad.
What a horrible, tragic waste of a young life with so much potential…sigh
The invincibility factor needs to go away with this generation. The pain that follows is astronomical. Had a boyfriend wayyyyy back in the day that a thrill out of that kind of behavior…..the ole Chevy Nova……took one ride with him in that thing, screaming for him to stop the entire time. He didn’t listen. Luckily we were on a back road and didn’t encounter traffic. He was just showing off for my benefit and I was petrified. He wouldn’t stop until the stop sign.
Today’s cars have many safety systems to help a driver in the operation of said vehicle. There are accident avoident systems in the new luxury cars. They have radar in the front and rear bumpers. Tomorrow’s cars will be even safer. More education is needed to show what a car will do and can’t do. Inexperience is the true killer here. Most young people think they will live forever. Our sorrow and prayers go to the families in this tragedy. I am sure some of the people in these cars will get the message, perhaps too late, but they will get it……….
Today’s car have a lot more power . My first car was a 1980 chevette maybe 60hp top end about 85mph. Today’s Chevey small cars have 120 hp and will do 110mph that is just a basic 4 cylinder. Kids think they will live forever. Have no idea that hitting a tree at 25mph could be a death sentence.
Doesn’t matter how you would like to spin it, the driver was at fault.
At 20 years old, no young man thinks getting killed is a real possibility. Invinsible is what we were. God has a plan for all of us.
Its baloney that some invisible spirit devised a plan in which this young man died like this. In fact, if there is such a plan then there’s no reason to use good judgement because whether you do or not, you’re locked into the “plan” and its outcome.
Should never have happened, it’s too bad people have to act like idiots. I feel sorry for all those involved and the family.
How incredibly sad. My condolences to families of victims and to the responding law enforcement and medical personnel. This was a senseless tragedy “fueled” by the impulsive abandon of youth. Those involved cannot change the outcome, but perhaps this story will deter others from trying the same “game”.
The game did not directly cause this accident. I don’t condone this game, but the article clearly is saying that the game was not a factor in the accident.
The part you aren’t understanding is, the sole fact that they were even playing this game before the accident clearly suggests that these kids’ level of responsibility and accountability was not where it should have been. Doesn’t matter if the game was still going on. It shouldn’t have been played in the first place. If they hadn’t been playing even before the accident, the tone might only be a little different here. Simply put- none of it should have happened.
Unfortunately the old saying is “It won’t happen to me” is the mindset of late teens early twenties. What one may do 999 times like leapfrog may go well and 1oooth time well not so good. My sincere condolences to all involved as it is always tough to see a young life gone to soon and his friends will never be the same. Best to all as best as can come from tragedy.
Been there. Done that (or something similarly foolish and risky while not fully comprehending the consequences.) My heart aches for the Noonan family in their time of loss and mourning. I pray for them first and foremost. I also pray for all of the young people in those vehicles that night that only now appreciate the gravity of the risks some take behind the wheel not realizing how deadly it can be.
The sad truth of this story is that at that age most of us feel invincible and have the “it won’t happen to me” mentality. Our parents and grandparents attempt to warn us of the dangers but instead of heeding them we feel the desire to push the limits and test things out for ourselves. We can say this and say that, blame the parents, blame this person, and blame that person when the truth of the matter is the only person to blame are those involved. By the grace of God nothing I did caused injury to myself or someone else and I have to believe I’m not the only one on this message board that has stories of things they did that could have ended in horrifically if something had gone wrong. I knew the dangers, chose to test them and luckily I’m here to attempt to tell others not to be so stupid. My condolences to the family and friends of this young man.
Very well said. I myself had to bury the needle in my car at least once when I was young. And I’m a GIRL! Like you said, by the grace of god, I was lucky and didn’t lose it. Some kids get a second chance but I doubt there are too many people out there who have not put themselves into a situation where something similar could have happened to them.
Agreed! I want to lock my children up until they are of sound mind and judgment.:(
I had thought about doing that with mine and, if you asked them, they just might say that I DID lock them up :) The best of parents who do everything in their power still have kids that will made bad choices on occasion. I guess all we can hope for is that we or our spies catch them in the act and do whatever we can to make future risks less likely. The parents who think their children DON’T push the limits are the ones who scare me (they’re the ones I have called before out of concern for their children and they dismiss it as “my child wouldn’t do that because I raised them right.” Sigh.
This isn’t rocket science, young people feel invincible in cars because of advertising
What a waste.
These tragic events are called “life.” Very sad events. It’s the innocence of childhood that creates heartache. So sad for everyone.
Did any of you actually read the article? First of all its they were playing the game BEFORE the crash and that the game had ENDED when they crash occurred. NO WHERE in the article does it say they did anything wrong at the time of the accident. That may change but as of right now they were JUST driving at the time of the accident. Why don’t you all wait till the final report is out before you get up on your soapbox and tell everyone how to days kids are dumb.
On a adjacent note. before you get up on your soapbox why dont you sit down and think for a moment about all the crap you did as a teenage that your parents thought was “stupid stupid stupid”. Nothing on this planet is worst than a hypocrite.
Before, during, after… Doesn’t matter. It shouldn’t have happened at all.
WHAT ARTICLE WERE YOU READING??? It actually states in the 1st paragraph, cars were racing, at one point playing a game of leapfrog, when the lead vehicle lost control….I hope the driver is held accountable for his actions.
“Toddler killed by speeding car”
A three year-old boy was pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Public HospitalDead 3 year-old Carlyne Moe.minutes after he was struck down in front of his home yesterday morning
http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2012/03/09/toddler-killed-by-speeding-car-in-front-road-accident/
BDN, please stop putting Clark’s photo next to every story you publish about this incident. Clark’s family and friends are in terrible pain, let Clark rest in peace and let the community who loved him grieve.
does the word enable seem to fit.
SUCH A SHAME :( My heart goes out to the family >3
What a wonderful young man too die at such a young age. Please just keep his family and friends in you prayers. My heart goes out to the parents of Clark. He had such a life ahead of him to enjoy and know to have it end this way. Just think of the police officer that had to go tell his parents and how hard that must be for any officer to do.