The sobbing of high school students filled the air along Broadlawn Drive in Elizabeth Township as family and friends gathered during a vigil Saturday evening to remember three young people who died early yesterday morning in a two-vehicle crash there. The Allegheny County Coroner's Office identified the victims as Candace Geiser, 17, of Patterson Road, Elizabeth Borough; Bethann Zagorasky, 17, of Forward Township; and Brian Ash, 20, of Peach Alley, Elizabeth Borough. Geiser, a cheerleader, and Zagorasky were seniors at Elizabeth Forward High School. Ash, who graduated from Elizabeth Forward in 2001, had recently graduated from culinary school. Rob Pardick, 30, of Buena Vista, was injured in the accident. Pardick was in serious condition last night at UPMC Presbyterian, Oakland. Yesterday afternoon, flowers and American flags were placed near the curve in the 400 block of Broadlawn Drive, where the accident occurred. "This is the best year of their lives, that's why it's so sad. They never got to really enjoy things until their senior year. They were just robbed," Elizabeth Forward school board member Ronald Skrinjorich said. Skrinjorich said his daughter, Carrie, was Zagorasky's best friend. The deaths, he said, "hit the community really hard … The phone hasn't stopped ringing — everyone has been in tears." Board member John Clark called the accident "a situation that will affect the entire school. Our hearts go out to the families. It's very difficult to understand how these things happen — but they happen." According to the county coroner's office, a Honda driven by Ash and carrying Geiser and Zagorasky, crossed the center line and hit Pardick's pickup truck about 3:49 a.m. yesterday. The cause of death for Geiser was listed as blunt force trauma of head and trunk. The coroner's office said Zagorasky died of blunt force trauma to the head, neck and trunk, and Ash died of blunt force trauma to the trunk. The accident is being investigated by Allegheny County homicide detectives. Ralph Gronlund, who lives near the accident scene and was one of the first to reach the victims, said Pardick was trapped in his pickup truck yelling for help after the accident. Gronlund, a veteran volunteer firefighter, said Ash's Honda hit the pickup truck head on. "The fellow in the pickup truck didn't have a chance to stop," he said. Gronlund said police were at the scene in a matter of minutes and that rescue crews arrived shortly after the police. During last night's vigil, family members and friends clutched each other as they placed stuffed animals, bunches of flowers and candles around homemade crosses placed along the road where the accident occurred. Groups of cheerleaders huddled together and cried hysterically remembering their squad mate, Geiser. Another group of young men brought three crosses to the vigil and planted them alongside another cross, built out of tree limbs and tied together with twine. The three crosses each had one of the victims' names etched into the polished wood. One of the young men said he was best friends with Ash and built the crosses himself. The Rev. Rudolph Smoley of St. Michael's in Elizabeth offered a few words of comfort during the vigil. "And I said to God, I hurt, and God said to me, I know. I said to God, I cry a lot, and God said that is why I gave you tears. God, I am so depressed, and God said to me, that is why I gave you sunshine," Smoley said during the vigil. The more than 100 mourners lit small white candles as they quietly listened to Smoley. Afterward, Smoley led the group in the Lord's Prayer and "Amazing Grace." Smoley urged those present at the vigil to offer comfort and support to the victims' parents. "The only comfort I can offer, is to let people know that if you open the doors of your heart, you'll find the person there," Smoley said after the vigil. Ash began an apprenticeship Sept. 8 as a cook at South Hills Country Club. Assistant chef Scott Bauman said Ash enjoyed his work — which mainly involved setting up dinner plates. "He was very open when he came, he felt comfortable — he was not intimidated by people who had cooked for years," Bauman said. "He'd tell you anything, he was very talkative right off the bat. He talked to everyone — he was eager to learn." Bob Bennett, manager of Krispy Kreme on Route 51, remembered Geiser as a "very bubbly, very happy, very cheerful person." Bennett, the husband of school board member Linda Bennett, said he met Geiser last summer during employee orientation at Krispy Kreme. Football coach Mike LeDonne's daughter was a member of the cheerleading squad, along with Geiser. "It's a tragedy any time youth are lost like that," he said. On Friday night, Geiser cheered for the high school football team during its loss to Thomas Jefferson. LeDonne's wife, Sherri, said students in the district were turning to one another for support. "The kids are finding comfort in being together," she said. Clark Ash said his son loved fishing and had traveled extensively with his family. The desire to attend cooking school, "came out of the blue," when Brian Ash was deciding what to do after high school, his father said. "He was an awesome chef," said Scott Bonivich, an Elizabeth Forward senior and friend of Ash's. "He could make anything." Bonivich said Ash got the 1995 Honda after graduating from Elizabeth Forward. "He loved that car," he said. Brian Ash is survived by his father; his mother, Barbara; two brothers, Jeff and Scott; and his stepmother, Jennifer. "He was the biggest sweetheart," Jennifer Greenwald said, referring to Ash. Greenwald said Ash graduated with her last year. Zagorasky's brother, John, was one of Ash's best friends, Greenwald said. George Walter, assistant football coach for Elizabeth Forward, said he had seen Zagorasky on Thursday, and she had mentioned an interest in helping on the sidelines at football games doing such things as getting water for the players. Walter said Zagorasky had dated his cousin, Sean, and she was "always smiling and laughing." The families of the two teenage girls killed in the accident declined comment. School board President Linda Bennett said the district planned this week or next to a name a district ball field after Lucas Butler, 18, a senior who was killed in a car crash in March. That move, she said, has been postponed. "I can't believe this has happened again in less than a year," Walter said. "These kids are still not over that." Walter said yesterday's football practice was dismissed early and a cheerleading camp-spirit day and soccer games yesterday were cancelled. High school cheerleading coach Cora King could not be reached for comment. Bennett said the three killed Saturday "were at a party." Gronlund said he did not smell alcohol or see containers at the accident scene. The district's crisis team will be ready to respond to grieving students Monday, the school board's Skrinjorich said. "It's going to be pretty bad on Monday," he said.

---

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)

---