Driver's health stabilizes
 By
Laura Pelner
Campus Editor
After almost a week in the hospital, the driver
of the car involved in a fatal accident on Friday is conscious and in
stable condition.
Matthew Cushman, a recent Purdue graduate, is in
intensive care at the Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, Ind.
"Right now he is more conscious and alert than
he has been in the past," said Joe Golliher, a senior in the Krannert
School of Management and a friend of Cushman's. "The doctors have said
there will be no permanent brain damage. That's really good news."
Golliher said Cushman was on a respirator but the
doctors have turned it off and he is now breathing on his own.
Though Cushman survived the car accident, his brother
Jacob Cushman, a sophomore in the School of Liberal Arts, and his friend
Matthew Cahill, a senior in the Schools of Engineering, died as a result
of the crash.
Jacob and Cahill were both members of Campus Crusade
for Christ. The organization will be honoring them at its next meeting
at 7 p.m. on Friday in the South Ballroom of the Purdue Memorial Union.
"We're calling (the meeting) a celebration of (Cahill's
and Jacob's) lives," said Carl Clayton, the director of Campus Crusade
for Christ.
Clayton said the group moved the meeting to the
South Ballroom of the Union because he expects a lot of people to attend.
"We're getting 600 chairs," said Clayton. "We're
going to have an open (microphone) so people can come up and share memories."
Golliher, who was Cahill's roommate, said a lot
of the campus ministries know about the meeting and that there are going
to be a lot of people there. "A lot of people knew Matt and Jake and
were touched by them," he said.
There will also be worship at the meeting, said
Golliher. "(There will be people) giving their testimonies about how
they came to know Jesus Christ. I think the meeting will be a pivotal
moment in hundreds of people's lives," said Golliher.
He added that though Cahill and Jacob would be
happy that people are honoring them at the meeting, they would care
more about celebrating God. "Matt and Jake wouldn't be concerned about
having people come to remember them, but more having them come to hear
about Jesus Christ and how he died on the cross for them."
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