2 crash victims remain in critical condition Services set for this weekend

Students at Sahuarita High School have expressed support and sympathy for the victims of Tuesday’s crash near Interstate 19 and Sahuarita Road by writing letters and drawing a banner that has been taken to the hospital.

Two of the girls are in critical condition and a third has improved to fair condition from serious, an official of University Medical Center said Thursday.

Meanwhile, funeral services have been set this weekend for the driver, Beth Lynn Brakke, 16, who died at the scene.

Also, an account has been set up at Wells Fargo Bank branches to accept donations for the families of the four victims, all juniors at Sahuarita High School and residents of the town.

As of Thursday afternoon, Angelica Vindiola, 17, and Brittany Jaeger, 15, were in critical condition in the intensive care unit at UMC, a hospital spokeswoman said, and Angelica Fredrikson, 16, was in fair condition.

Jaeger and Fredrikson had been in serious condition and Vindiola was in critical condition late Tuesday, shortly after they arrived at the hospital by ambulance.

Assistant Superintendent Manny Valenzuela spoke to high school students Thursday morning over the school’s internal television system.

He said he had visited the hospital and spoken to one of the girls as well as to family members. He saw the butcher-paper banners that students had made at school and said the girls and their families appreciated the expression of support from fellow students.

Visitation for Brakke will be from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday at Green Valley Mortuary, 18751 S. La Canada Dr. Services will be at 10 a.m. on Sunday at the Green Valley Mortuary and burial will be at the adjacent Green Valley Cemetery.

Remembrances in memory of Beth Lynn Brakke may be made to the Sahuarita High School Scholarship Fund, 350 W. Sahuarita Rd., Sahuarita 85629.

Brakke was an athletic trainer and an avid soccer player with AYSO who played each game with all her heart. She loved hunting, fishing and being outdoors and was an enthusiastic collector of music.

She is survived by her parents, Curtis and Barbara Brakke of Green Valley; sisters Kari (Ben) Moennig of Sahuarita and Erin Brakke of Atlanta; and grandparents Dean and Marion Brakke of Presho, S.D. and Clifford and Ina Thacker of Tucson. Also surviving are nephew Brenden Moennig of Sahuarita and numerous cousins, aunts and uncles.

Students held an informal vigil on the main campus Tuesday evening and some 600 have undergone individual or group counseling at school, as Sahuarita Unified School District counselors have been assisted by a crisis intervention team that includes staff from Sunnyside and Marana school districts, Valenzuela said.

Counselors have met with students individually and have visited about 20 classrooms as well.

Rumors swirled across the campus this week that a second girl had died at the hospital and Valenzuela said that during his broadcast he asked students to refrain from spreading rumors. He said he was seeking ways to provide accurate information to students.

Donations can be made at any Wells Fargo bank branch to the Benefit Fund for the Families of Brakke, Vindiola, Fredrikson & Jaeger.

Green Valley branch manager Erin Chico said donations can be made at branches in Tucson, Phoenix or other locations, and anyone with a question can call her or other bank staff at the Green Valley branch at 625-1222.

Parent Elena Cozine, the account holder, said members of the Sahuarita Stingrays wanted to help the Jaeger family with medical expenses, then decided that it didn’t feel right to just help one family and set up the account so that all donations will be divided evenly among the families.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety is investigating the one-car crash, which occurred at 12:52 p.m. Tuesday on the northbound Sahuarita Road off-ramp from northbound Interstate 19.

Brakke’s 1988 Honda Civic failed to negotiate a turn at the top of the off ramp, left the road, ran into the desert, became airborne over a wash, and struck the opposite bank of the wash head on, DPS said in a press release.

Fredrickson was seated on the passenger side in the front and was able to crawl out of the passenger side window after the collision, and was not ejected as earlier reported. She told police she was wearing a seat belt at the time of the collision.

Jaeger was seated in the right rear passenger seat and said she was not wearing a seat belt. Vindiola was seated in the left rear passenger seat and police did not know if she had on a seat belt.

pfranchine@sahuaritasun.com | 547-9738

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