Crash kills two students
By Laura Pelner
Campus
Editor
Two students were killed and another is in critical
condition after a weather-related accident Friday evening on St. Rd.
26 in Grant County.
Matthew T. Cahill, 22, a senior in the Schools
of Engineering from Noblesville, Ind., died at the scene, and Jacob
C. Cushman, 20, a sophomore in the School of Liberal Arts from Ossian,
Ind., died Saturday at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, Ind.
Jacob Cushman's brother, Matthew T. Cushman, 23,
a Purdue graduate, is in critical condition at Lutheran Hospital.
A sergeant at the Grant County sheriff's office,
William Glasser, said Matthew Cushman was driving the car, which was
going eastbound on St. Rd. 26.
Glasser said the car Matthew Cushman was driving
began to lose control as it was passing a westbound semi truck. "The
car spun so that the passenger side (where Jacob Cushman was sitting)
was going straight for the front of the semi," said Glasser. "The semi
driver attempted to avoid the accident but they collided. The car was
ripped into two pieces."
The semi driver, John Smith, 35, of Peru, Ind.,
had no injuries and refused medical treatment at the scene, said Glasser.
All three of the passengers were ejected from the
car during the accident. Cahill was pronounced dead at the scene from
massive internal and external injuries, and Jacob Cushman was taken
to the hospital but died from injuries that were irreversible, said
Glasser.
Glasser said Matthew Cushman has improved somewhat
from when he arrived at the hospital.
The accident was caused by poor weather conditions,
said Glasser.
Carl Clayton, campus director of Campus Crusade
for Christ, said everyone in the organization is devastated by the deaths
of Cahill and Jacob Cushman, who were members of the group.
"There's been a lot of prayer, a lot of crying
and reflecting on their lives. Right now they are with the Lord in Heaven;
it's the best place they can be in light of everything," said Clayton.
Many Purdue students may remember Cahill because
he was the Matt who led the "Do You Agree With Matt?" campaign last
semester.
Clayton said, "These were three of our key leaders
and friends."
Alan Sutton, the faculty adviser for Campus Crusade
for Christ, added, "God's got a plan that we often times do not understand.
It's going to be a great loss."
Clayton said that at this week's Campus Crusade
for Christ meeting the group is going to try to have a memorial service.
Anyone can pay his or her respects at the meeting.
Also, Clayton said some of the students involved
in Campus Crusade for Christ got together over the weekend and decided
they may wear their "I Agree With Matt" T-shirts throughout the week
as a form of remembrance.
Joe Bennett, the vice president of University relations,
said this is a loss to the University community as well as to the families
and friends of the victims.
"We extend our sympathy to the families of each
of these students," said Bennett. "This has been a very tragic week
for us at Purdue because we've lost three students in one week. Any
time someone dies prematurely with so much promise, as these students
had, it's a great tragedy."
• The visitation for Cahill will be from 4
p.m. until 8 p.m. today at Cicero Christian Church in Cicero, Ind. The
funeral will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Cicero Christian Church.
Arrangements for Jacob Cushman have not been finalized.
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