By Kath Gannaway
HEALESVILLE is again feeling the pain of losing two beautiful young people.
Letecia Larsen and Stacie Lorgelly lost their lives last week in a horror crash on Maroondah Highway.
The girls, both 16, were passengers in a car which crashed into a tree east of Madden’s Lane in Coldstream just before 9pm on Tuesday 2 October.
Police say Letecia died instantly. Stacie was flown to The Alfred hospital and was able to speak with her mother, Maria, before she too died in the early hours of Wednesday.
The 20-year-old driver of the car and another male passenger, both also from Healesville, received minor injuries.
Letecia was in year 11 at Healesville High School, Stacie an apprentice baker at Beechworth Bakery.
Both were popular teenagers who had lived all their lives in the town.
Friends and family say they shared a love of life and optimism for the future.
The ripple effect of shock and grief started within seconds of the crash.
Cassie Picone, a nurse and daughter of SES controller Karen Picone, was first on the scene having seen the crash on her way to work. She knew Letecia and took charge until emergency services arrived.
Geoff Stott, assistant controller, said another member was a local school bus driver.
A sad pilgrimage of teenage friends, accompanied by protective parents, have been among the many people who have stopped at the accident scene throughout the week to lay flowers and leave messages which tell of their profound sadness, and love for the girls.
Letecia’s parents, Wayne and Samantha Larsen, said their daughter was a free spirit whose ambition was to work in childcare.
“She loved to walk and be free, loved the simple things and was an awesome big sister to 10-year-old Jesse,” her dad said.
Mrs Larsen said Letecia loved school.
“It was all about friends and socialising and she was going right through to the end,” she said.
The girls, alike in many ways, didn’t share the school thing.
Maria Lorgelly said her youngest daughter knew what she wanted to do in life and went for it, leaving school to take on an apprenticeship at Beechworth Bakery.
“She was very much her own person,” Mrs Lorgelly said. “There were no apprenticeships available but she just went up and asked. They were impressed by that and she loved her work.”
Friends said Stacie, a one-eyed Bombers supporter, had an endearing cheekiness with a mega-attitude.
Matt Schwab, Beechworth Bakery manager, described Stacie as “an amazing kid”.
“She was fun-loving, never had any bad or unhappy moments.
“She was always there with a smile on her face and always the first to give someone else a hug if they were on a downer,” he said.
Investigations into the crash are still continuing but Senior Constable Simon Cusack of the Major Collision Investigation Unit said police know the car, for reasons yet to be determined, veered off the highway and hit the tree on the passenger side.
He said an assessment would be made once all investigations were concluded as to whether any charges would be laid.
Yarra Valley Community Health Service (1300 130 381) and the Road Trauma Support Team (1300 367 797) can provide counselling for friends and family experiencing trauma.
>>>Parents’ safety plea Page 3.
