Prophetstown schools offer support for students after crash kills 3
Counseling services have started being made available in Whiteside County today after a crash killed three students.
Tire markings are still visible at the scene of the crash, where two vehicles were involved in rural Tampico. Sheriff John Booker was one of the first on scene to the accident outside of Tampico. “No parent could ever be prepared for that,” Booker said. “No police officer, sheriff could ever know exactly what to say other than the terrible tragedy news that you have to provide for them. It’s been a tragedy for the communities, families, emergency responders that were here, and it’s just a tough situation all together.”
“The pick-up truck was traveling northbound on Luther Road,” Booker said. “The semi tractor trailer was traveling eastbound on Hahnaman Road when they collided in the middle of the intersection. It appears that the pickup truck possibly ran the stop sign.”
The Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office will provide counseling services to their first responders who were on the scene Thursday. The school district will do the same for their students who are struggling with the grieving process, with help from other school districts and community members.
“We had many many counselors and social workers,” Prophetstown-Lyndon-Tampico Superintendent Heidi Lensing said. “I reached out to our local ministerial group. The districts responded amazingly, so I can not thank them enough.”
The superintendent emphasizes how much Prophetstown students mean to the small communities surrounding them. “It creates such a hole in our community that is going to take a long long time to recover,” Lensing said. “It’s going to take a lot of patience and empathy, and compassions as we move forward. That is what we’re focusing on.”
The school district says students are encouraged to continue to use the counseling and social work services they will continue to provide once students return back to school. They also encourage parents to talk to their children if they are having a hard time dealing with the deaths of their classmates.
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