Jason Scott Varrato of Wallingford Road, Durham, died Thursday from injuries suffered in an auto accident. He was 16.
He was born in Middletown and was an 11th-grade student at Middletown High School in the vocational-agricultural program and a member of the wrestling team. He was also employed part-time at Greenbacker Farms in Durham.
He is survived by his parents, Rene and Laurie Brookes Varrato of Durham; a brother, Matthew Varrato of Durham; a sister, Heather Varrato of Durham; maternal grandparents, Eileen and Raymond Brookes of Southington; and paternal grandparents, Jerome and Denise Varrato of Middletown.
The funeral service is Monday at 9 a.m. with a funeral liturgy at St. Sebastian Church in Middletown. Burial will be in St. Sebastian Cemetery in Middlefield. Calling hours at the Biega Funeral Home, 3 Silver St., Middletown, will be Sunday, 5-7 p.m.
* * * * *
MIDDLETOWN — The deaths of three teenagers in a car crash and fire left a raw wound in three towns and three high schools on Friday, a day after the accident....Around the charred tree trunk where the impact occurred, grieving students continued to leave flowers and a variety of memorials. Many of the students who streamed to and from the scene stood in silent remembrance.....Julian J. Crete, 14, and Erin Melzmuf, 16, both of Middlefield, and Jason Varrato, 16, of Durham, died Thursday morning before school when Varrato's Ford Tempo hit a tree on Laurel Grove Road and caught fire...Three other teens -- including Varrato's younger brother Matthew, 14 -- were able to get out of the car and call for help. Matthew and Jeremy Tarver, 16, suffered minor injuries. David Lehet, 15, of Middlefield suffered a broken clavicle........The six teens knew each other from their school days in Durham and Middlefield, but attended regional programs at Middletown High School and Vinal Regional Vocational Technical High School.....
They were remembered by friends in all three communities with bouquets, notes and pictures placed at the crash site Friday. Among the photos was one of a smiling Jason Varrato, called Jay by his friends.......''He would laugh, even if you told the dumbest joke in the world, just to make you happy,'' said Coginchaug Regional High School senior Heather Steele. The mood at school Friday was unnaturally quiet, she said......She and other friends said Varrato had looked forward to getting his car and being able to drive on his own. He had registered the used car just two days before the accident, according to his mother, Laurie Varrato........
Middletown police investigators spent most of Friday organizing evidence gathered at the scene.......
Investigators confirmed Friday that Jason Varrato was driving the car. Varrato turned 16 on Feb. 18 and was issued a license to drive on Oct. 3........Police are not saying whether speed was a factor in the crash. Although officials have extensive measurements from the crash site, they have yet to determine the car's speed. The speed limit on Laurel Grove Road, a narrow, unpaved street near Wadsworth State Park, is just 15 mph....Officer Craig Elkin, who is investigating the crash, said he is trying to determine whether anyone in the car was wearing a seat belt.....Police also are trying to figure out how the passengers were arranged in the car prior to the crash. Initial indications are that two people were seated in front and four in the rear of the two- door coupe.... Elkin said state law restricts only the number of people in the front seat. Elkin said he does not know whether the alignment of the assengers affected Varrato's ability to maintain control...
The chief state medical examiner's office in Farmington identified the students Friday by their dental records. The office said Varrato died from blunt traumatic injuries, Melzmuf from traumatic injuries and smoke inhalation, and Crete from smoke inhalation.....
On the day after the accident:...
* Funerals for Varrato and Crete were scheduled for Monday. The funeral for Erin Melzmuf will be Tuesday.
* Students at Vinal, where Crete went to school, planned a memorial tree planting and candlelight vigil. The time and place had not been set as of late Friday. By noon, Vinal had a binder in the cafeteria with eight pages filled front to back with condolence notes.
* Jessica Petersen, a friend of Jason Varrato, is starting a petition drive to improve Laurel Grove Road, a popular tree-lined shortcut. Anyone interested in helping with the drive may call Petersen at (860) 916-1843.
* Flowers arrived at Vinal from nearby Mercy High School and from as far away as Windsor High School. Windsor High also sent flowers to Middletown High School, where Jason Varrato and Melzmuf were students in the vocational agricultural program.
* Crisis teams at Vinal, Middletown High and Durham and Middlefield's Region 13 school district continued to offer counseling to students. Durham and Middlefield Youth and Family Services also offered counselors at the youth center in Middlefield.
. . .Julian J Crete . .
. . . Erin Alice Melzmuf.....
He was born in Middletown and was an 11th-grade student at Middletown High School in the vocational-agricultural program and a member of the wrestling team. He was also employed part-time at Greenbacker Farms in Durham.
He is survived by his parents, Rene and Laurie Brookes Varrato of Durham; a brother, Matthew Varrato of Durham; a sister, Heather Varrato of Durham; maternal grandparents, Eileen and Raymond Brookes of Southington; and paternal grandparents, Jerome and Denise Varrato of Middletown.
The funeral service is Monday at 9 a.m. with a funeral liturgy at St. Sebastian Church in Middletown. Burial will be in St. Sebastian Cemetery in Middlefield. Calling hours at the Biega Funeral Home, 3 Silver St., Middletown, will be Sunday, 5-7 p.m.
* * * * *
MIDDLETOWN — The deaths of three teenagers in a car crash and fire left a raw wound in three towns and three high schools on Friday, a day after the accident....Around the charred tree trunk where the impact occurred, grieving students continued to leave flowers and a variety of memorials. Many of the students who streamed to and from the scene stood in silent remembrance.....Julian J. Crete, 14, and Erin Melzmuf, 16, both of Middlefield, and Jason Varrato, 16, of Durham, died Thursday morning before school when Varrato's Ford Tempo hit a tree on Laurel Grove Road and caught fire...Three other teens -- including Varrato's younger brother Matthew, 14 -- were able to get out of the car and call for help. Matthew and Jeremy Tarver, 16, suffered minor injuries. David Lehet, 15, of Middlefield suffered a broken clavicle........The six teens knew each other from their school days in Durham and Middlefield, but attended regional programs at Middletown High School and Vinal Regional Vocational Technical High School.....
They were remembered by friends in all three communities with bouquets, notes and pictures placed at the crash site Friday. Among the photos was one of a smiling Jason Varrato, called Jay by his friends.......''He would laugh, even if you told the dumbest joke in the world, just to make you happy,'' said Coginchaug Regional High School senior Heather Steele. The mood at school Friday was unnaturally quiet, she said......She and other friends said Varrato had looked forward to getting his car and being able to drive on his own. He had registered the used car just two days before the accident, according to his mother, Laurie Varrato........
Middletown police investigators spent most of Friday organizing evidence gathered at the scene.......
Investigators confirmed Friday that Jason Varrato was driving the car. Varrato turned 16 on Feb. 18 and was issued a license to drive on Oct. 3........Police are not saying whether speed was a factor in the crash. Although officials have extensive measurements from the crash site, they have yet to determine the car's speed. The speed limit on Laurel Grove Road, a narrow, unpaved street near Wadsworth State Park, is just 15 mph....Officer Craig Elkin, who is investigating the crash, said he is trying to determine whether anyone in the car was wearing a seat belt.....Police also are trying to figure out how the passengers were arranged in the car prior to the crash. Initial indications are that two people were seated in front and four in the rear of the two- door coupe.... Elkin said state law restricts only the number of people in the front seat. Elkin said he does not know whether the alignment of the assengers affected Varrato's ability to maintain control...
The chief state medical examiner's office in Farmington identified the students Friday by their dental records. The office said Varrato died from blunt traumatic injuries, Melzmuf from traumatic injuries and smoke inhalation, and Crete from smoke inhalation.....
On the day after the accident:...
* Funerals for Varrato and Crete were scheduled for Monday. The funeral for Erin Melzmuf will be Tuesday.
* Students at Vinal, where Crete went to school, planned a memorial tree planting and candlelight vigil. The time and place had not been set as of late Friday. By noon, Vinal had a binder in the cafeteria with eight pages filled front to back with condolence notes.
* Jessica Petersen, a friend of Jason Varrato, is starting a petition drive to improve Laurel Grove Road, a popular tree-lined shortcut. Anyone interested in helping with the drive may call Petersen at (860) 916-1843.
* Flowers arrived at Vinal from nearby Mercy High School and from as far away as Windsor High School. Windsor High also sent flowers to Middletown High School, where Jason Varrato and Melzmuf were students in the vocational agricultural program.
* Crisis teams at Vinal, Middletown High and Durham and Middlefield's Region 13 school district continued to offer counseling to students. Durham and Middlefield Youth and Family Services also offered counselors at the youth center in Middlefield.
. . .Julian J Crete . .
. . . Erin Alice Melzmuf.....
Jason Scott Varrato of Wallingford Road, Durham, died Thursday from injuries suffered in an auto accident. He was 16.
He was born in Middletown and was an 11th-grade student at Middletown High School in the vocational-agricultural program and a member of the wrestling team. He was also employed part-time at Greenbacker Farms in Durham.
He is survived by his parents, Rene and Laurie Brookes Varrato of Durham; a brother, Matthew Varrato of Durham; a sister, Heather Varrato of Durham; maternal grandparents, Eileen and Raymond Brookes of Southington; and paternal grandparents, Jerome and Denise Varrato of Middletown.
The funeral service is Monday at 9 a.m. with a funeral liturgy at St. Sebastian Church in Middletown. Burial will be in St. Sebastian Cemetery in Middlefield. Calling hours at the Biega Funeral Home, 3 Silver St., Middletown, will be Sunday, 5-7 p.m.
* * * * *
MIDDLETOWN — The deaths of three teenagers in a car crash and fire left a raw wound in three towns and three high schools on Friday, a day after the accident....Around the charred tree trunk where the impact occurred, grieving students continued to leave flowers and a variety of memorials. Many of the students who streamed to and from the scene stood in silent remembrance.....Julian J. Crete, 14, and Erin Melzmuf, 16, both of Middlefield, and Jason Varrato, 16, of Durham, died Thursday morning before school when Varrato's Ford Tempo hit a tree on Laurel Grove Road and caught fire...Three other teens -- including Varrato's younger brother Matthew, 14 -- were able to get out of the car and call for help. Matthew and Jeremy Tarver, 16, suffered minor injuries. David Lehet, 15, of Middlefield suffered a broken clavicle........The six teens knew each other from their school days in Durham and Middlefield, but attended regional programs at Middletown High School and Vinal Regional Vocational Technical High School.....
They were remembered by friends in all three communities with bouquets, notes and pictures placed at the crash site Friday. Among the photos was one of a smiling Jason Varrato, called Jay by his friends.......''He would laugh, even if you told the dumbest joke in the world, just to make you happy,'' said Coginchaug Regional High School senior Heather Steele. The mood at school Friday was unnaturally quiet, she said......She and other friends said Varrato had looked forward to getting his car and being able to drive on his own. He had registered the used car just two days before the accident, according to his mother, Laurie Varrato........
Middletown police investigators spent most of Friday organizing evidence gathered at the scene.......
Investigators confirmed Friday that Jason Varrato was driving the car. Varrato turned 16 on Feb. 18 and was issued a license to drive on Oct. 3........Police are not saying whether speed was a factor in the crash. Although officials have extensive measurements from the crash site, they have yet to determine the car's speed. The speed limit on Laurel Grove Road, a narrow, unpaved street near Wadsworth State Park, is just 15 mph....Officer Craig Elkin, who is investigating the crash, said he is trying to determine whether anyone in the car was wearing a seat belt.....Police also are trying to figure out how the passengers were arranged in the car prior to the crash. Initial indications are that two people were seated in front and four in the rear of the two- door coupe.... Elkin said state law restricts only the number of people in the front seat. Elkin said he does not know whether the alignment of the assengers affected Varrato's ability to maintain control...
The chief state medical examiner's office in Farmington identified the students Friday by their dental records. The office said Varrato died from blunt traumatic injuries, Melzmuf from traumatic injuries and smoke inhalation, and Crete from smoke inhalation.....
On the day after the accident:...
* Funerals for Varrato and Crete were scheduled for Monday. The funeral for Erin Melzmuf will be Tuesday.
* Students at Vinal, where Crete went to school, planned a memorial tree planting and candlelight vigil. The time and place had not been set as of late Friday. By noon, Vinal had a binder in the cafeteria with eight pages filled front to back with condolence notes.
* Jessica Petersen, a friend of Jason Varrato, is starting a petition drive to improve Laurel Grove Road, a popular tree-lined shortcut. Anyone interested in helping with the drive may call Petersen at (860) 916-1843.
* Flowers arrived at Vinal from nearby Mercy High School and from as far away as Windsor High School. Windsor High also sent flowers to Middletown High School, where Jason Varrato and Melzmuf were students in the vocational agricultural program.
* Crisis teams at Vinal, Middletown High and Durham and Middlefield's Region 13 school district continued to offer counseling to students. Durham and Middlefield Youth and Family Services also offered counselors at the youth center in Middlefield.
. . .Julian J Crete . .
. . . Erin Alice Melzmuf.....
He was born in Middletown and was an 11th-grade student at Middletown High School in the vocational-agricultural program and a member of the wrestling team. He was also employed part-time at Greenbacker Farms in Durham.
He is survived by his parents, Rene and Laurie Brookes Varrato of Durham; a brother, Matthew Varrato of Durham; a sister, Heather Varrato of Durham; maternal grandparents, Eileen and Raymond Brookes of Southington; and paternal grandparents, Jerome and Denise Varrato of Middletown.
The funeral service is Monday at 9 a.m. with a funeral liturgy at St. Sebastian Church in Middletown. Burial will be in St. Sebastian Cemetery in Middlefield. Calling hours at the Biega Funeral Home, 3 Silver St., Middletown, will be Sunday, 5-7 p.m.
* * * * *
MIDDLETOWN — The deaths of three teenagers in a car crash and fire left a raw wound in three towns and three high schools on Friday, a day after the accident....Around the charred tree trunk where the impact occurred, grieving students continued to leave flowers and a variety of memorials. Many of the students who streamed to and from the scene stood in silent remembrance.....Julian J. Crete, 14, and Erin Melzmuf, 16, both of Middlefield, and Jason Varrato, 16, of Durham, died Thursday morning before school when Varrato's Ford Tempo hit a tree on Laurel Grove Road and caught fire...Three other teens -- including Varrato's younger brother Matthew, 14 -- were able to get out of the car and call for help. Matthew and Jeremy Tarver, 16, suffered minor injuries. David Lehet, 15, of Middlefield suffered a broken clavicle........The six teens knew each other from their school days in Durham and Middlefield, but attended regional programs at Middletown High School and Vinal Regional Vocational Technical High School.....
They were remembered by friends in all three communities with bouquets, notes and pictures placed at the crash site Friday. Among the photos was one of a smiling Jason Varrato, called Jay by his friends.......''He would laugh, even if you told the dumbest joke in the world, just to make you happy,'' said Coginchaug Regional High School senior Heather Steele. The mood at school Friday was unnaturally quiet, she said......She and other friends said Varrato had looked forward to getting his car and being able to drive on his own. He had registered the used car just two days before the accident, according to his mother, Laurie Varrato........
Middletown police investigators spent most of Friday organizing evidence gathered at the scene.......
Investigators confirmed Friday that Jason Varrato was driving the car. Varrato turned 16 on Feb. 18 and was issued a license to drive on Oct. 3........Police are not saying whether speed was a factor in the crash. Although officials have extensive measurements from the crash site, they have yet to determine the car's speed. The speed limit on Laurel Grove Road, a narrow, unpaved street near Wadsworth State Park, is just 15 mph....Officer Craig Elkin, who is investigating the crash, said he is trying to determine whether anyone in the car was wearing a seat belt.....Police also are trying to figure out how the passengers were arranged in the car prior to the crash. Initial indications are that two people were seated in front and four in the rear of the two- door coupe.... Elkin said state law restricts only the number of people in the front seat. Elkin said he does not know whether the alignment of the assengers affected Varrato's ability to maintain control...
The chief state medical examiner's office in Farmington identified the students Friday by their dental records. The office said Varrato died from blunt traumatic injuries, Melzmuf from traumatic injuries and smoke inhalation, and Crete from smoke inhalation.....
On the day after the accident:...
* Funerals for Varrato and Crete were scheduled for Monday. The funeral for Erin Melzmuf will be Tuesday.
* Students at Vinal, where Crete went to school, planned a memorial tree planting and candlelight vigil. The time and place had not been set as of late Friday. By noon, Vinal had a binder in the cafeteria with eight pages filled front to back with condolence notes.
* Jessica Petersen, a friend of Jason Varrato, is starting a petition drive to improve Laurel Grove Road, a popular tree-lined shortcut. Anyone interested in helping with the drive may call Petersen at (860) 916-1843.
* Flowers arrived at Vinal from nearby Mercy High School and from as far away as Windsor High School. Windsor High also sent flowers to Middletown High School, where Jason Varrato and Melzmuf were students in the vocational agricultural program.
* Crisis teams at Vinal, Middletown High and Durham and Middlefield's Region 13 school district continued to offer counseling to students. Durham and Middlefield Youth and Family Services also offered counselors at the youth center in Middlefield.
. . .Julian J Crete . .
. . . Erin Alice Melzmuf.....
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