Graduation at Knightstown High School is Sunday but two of the teens in the graduating class may not be there following a terrible accident.
That accident, which hapened Tuesday, May 29, claimed the life of a former Knightstown graduate.
Kelsey Polk admitted, the death of her friend, Patrick Chew, has not fully sunk in.
"It is just so unreal that one of my friends is gone," said Polk. "I do not think it has hit anybody yet because Patrick is so popular everyone just loves him so much."
Patrick Chew was going fishing with his friends Raymond Perkins and Jacob Chew. The Henry County Sheriffs Office said the truck they were in ran a stop sign. The truck hit a Jeep at full speed. The Jeep went into a nearby field, the passenger's side of the truck smashed into a concrete fence post.
Patrick Chew's father, Rusty, walked around the crash site one day after the accident. He talked with investigators, and tried to piece together how it all happened.
Stretching tree branches may have been the reason why the teens didn't stop at the stop sign. The branches were cut in the early morning hours, after the tragic accident happened.
Roger Roy lives along County Road 400. He said he is not surprised the truck did not stop at the sign.
"Right now, it is still hard to see it," said Roger Roy. "You can see the warning sign a few blocks away, but you can not see that sign until you are right up on it."
Roy said more needs to be done at the intersection or Tuesday's fatal accident will not be the only one.
"That is pitiful, it really is," said Roy. "They should be keeping it cut back all of the time, especially on a busy road like 234 is. It is a shame it takes something like this to make them do something."
Knightstown High School Principal Scott Richie said seniors Raymond Perkins and Jacob Chew are a positive influence on their fellow classmates. He said they are vital members of the student body.
"It is just like reality has come in and sort of brought everything to a screeching halt," said Richie.
Polk said she will continue to mourn her friend and think about the things he enjoyed doing.
"He loved sunsets and taking pictures of them so every time I see a sunset, I am going to think about him being up there," said Polk.
Scott Richie said the 2012 graduation's ceremony will go on as planned, but during the walk through he will talk to seniors about what changes they would like to make to the traditional pomp and circumstance.
