A popular 15-year-old Severna Park girl, who was a stellar athlete and student, was killed in a two-car accident Friday night. Bethany Anne Balasic, of 41 Jamar Drive in Severna Park, was the sole passenger in a Mazda pickup truck driven by 18-year-old Joseph Leigh Cornett.Mr. Cornett's vehicle allegedly ran a red light at about 9:20 p.m. and collided with a Honda Accord that allegedly was turning left on a yellow turn signal from the center northbound lane of Ritchie Highway, county police said. The accident occurred at Cypress Creek Road intersection.After the impact, the pickup, which had been traveling southbound on Ritchie Park Highway, veered to the right, struck a curb, overturned, spun and then righted itself, partially ejecting Beth from the passenger-side window, police said.She was pronounced dead at 10 p.m. at Anne Arundel Medical Center.Mr. Cornett, of Severna Park, was taken to the hospital with minor injuries but refused treatment, police said.Police said the driver of the car, Justin Paul Heaps, 18, of Arnold, and his passenger, Jeremy Lee McDuffie, 17, of Hunters Point on the Broadneck Peninsula, received minor injuries and did not require hospitalization.None of the four was wearing a seat belt, and alcohol or drugs were not a factor in the accident, police said.Neither driver was cited, and police said it will be left to the State's Attorney's Office to decide whether any charges will be filed.Yesterday, those who knew Beth struggled to deal with her death."She was a great kid ... always smiling," said Carin Peterson, Beth's junior varsity girls' lacrosse coach at Severna Park High School."You couldn't ask for a better kid. If I had a daughter, that's what I would want her to be like."
Word of the accident spread yesterday among Beth's friends and teammates. Some gathered at ateammate's house to grieve."Kind of in shock it doesn't seem believable," was how 15-yearold Katie Bishop described her and the other girls' emotions. "It hasn't set in yet that we're not going to see her."A friend of Beth's since sixth grade, Katie described her as funny, smart, a good athlete and a good friend."She's a lot of fun to hang out with. She's special," Katie said. "We love her a lot, and we're going to miss her."The Balasics declined to comment yesterday, and Mr. Cornett and the other men involved in the crash could not be reached for comment.
A native of Flemington, N.J., Beth was active at Severna Park High School. The family moved to the area from Clinton, N.J., in 1987, according to information provided by Barranco and Sons Funeral Home.A freshman, Beth was an honors student who played lacrosse and JV field hockey at the high school. She had also played on the Green Hor nets' basketball and softball teams.Prior to high school, her academic honors included the President's Academic Award and a Minds in Motion award.Ms. Peterson said the school will have crisis intervention teams available to help Beth's friends and schoolmates when classes resume Tuesday.
Funeral Services will be held Tuesday at St. John's Church in Severna Park, and contributions may be made to the Severna Park High School Boosters. ****A funeral Mass will be offered at 10 a.m. on Tuesday at St. John's Church in Severna Park for Bethany Anne Balasic of Severna Park, who was killed Friday night in a car accident. She was 15.Born in Flemington, New Jersey, Beth's family moved to Severna Park in 1987.She played on the Green Hornets basketball and softball teams and the Anne Arundel Select teams. At Severna Park High School, where she was a freshman, Beth played junior varsity girls' lacrosse and field hockey.Awarded the President's Academic Award and a Minds in Motion award in grade school, she was an honors student at the high school.She was also active at St. John's Church and enjoyed reading Agatha Christie books and being with her friends and her pets.She is survived by her parents, Paul and Claudia Balasic of Severna Park; and her two brothers, Christopher and Jonathan Balasic. She is also survived by two grandmothers, Pauline Balasic of Keysbey, N.J., and Irene Struff of Deerrfield Beach, Fla.
Word of the accident spread yesterday among Beth's friends and teammates. Some gathered at ateammate's house to grieve."Kind of in shock it doesn't seem believable," was how 15-yearold Katie Bishop described her and the other girls' emotions. "It hasn't set in yet that we're not going to see her."A friend of Beth's since sixth grade, Katie described her as funny, smart, a good athlete and a good friend."She's a lot of fun to hang out with. She's special," Katie said. "We love her a lot, and we're going to miss her."The Balasics declined to comment yesterday, and Mr. Cornett and the other men involved in the crash could not be reached for comment.
A native of Flemington, N.J., Beth was active at Severna Park High School. The family moved to the area from Clinton, N.J., in 1987, according to information provided by Barranco and Sons Funeral Home.A freshman, Beth was an honors student who played lacrosse and JV field hockey at the high school. She had also played on the Green Hor nets' basketball and softball teams.Prior to high school, her academic honors included the President's Academic Award and a Minds in Motion award.Ms. Peterson said the school will have crisis intervention teams available to help Beth's friends and schoolmates when classes resume Tuesday.
Funeral Services will be held Tuesday at St. John's Church in Severna Park, and contributions may be made to the Severna Park High School Boosters. ****A funeral Mass will be offered at 10 a.m. on Tuesday at St. John's Church in Severna Park for Bethany Anne Balasic of Severna Park, who was killed Friday night in a car accident. She was 15.Born in Flemington, New Jersey, Beth's family moved to Severna Park in 1987.She played on the Green Hornets basketball and softball teams and the Anne Arundel Select teams. At Severna Park High School, where she was a freshman, Beth played junior varsity girls' lacrosse and field hockey.Awarded the President's Academic Award and a Minds in Motion award in grade school, she was an honors student at the high school.She was also active at St. John's Church and enjoyed reading Agatha Christie books and being with her friends and her pets.She is survived by her parents, Paul and Claudia Balasic of Severna Park; and her two brothers, Christopher and Jonathan Balasic. She is also survived by two grandmothers, Pauline Balasic of Keysbey, N.J., and Irene Struff of Deerrfield Beach, Fla.
A popular 15-year-old Severna Park girl, who was a stellar athlete and student, was killed in a two-car accident Friday night. Bethany Anne Balasic, of 41 Jamar Drive in Severna Park, was the sole passenger in a Mazda pickup truck driven by 18-year-old Joseph Leigh Cornett.Mr. Cornett's vehicle allegedly ran a red light at about 9:20 p.m. and collided with a Honda Accord that allegedly was turning left on a yellow turn signal from the center northbound lane of Ritchie Highway, county police said. The accident occurred at Cypress Creek Road intersection.After the impact, the pickup, which had been traveling southbound on Ritchie Park Highway, veered to the right, struck a curb, overturned, spun and then righted itself, partially ejecting Beth from the passenger-side window, police said.She was pronounced dead at 10 p.m. at Anne Arundel Medical Center.Mr. Cornett, of Severna Park, was taken to the hospital with minor injuries but refused treatment, police said.Police said the driver of the car, Justin Paul Heaps, 18, of Arnold, and his passenger, Jeremy Lee McDuffie, 17, of Hunters Point on the Broadneck Peninsula, received minor injuries and did not require hospitalization.None of the four was wearing a seat belt, and alcohol or drugs were not a factor in the accident, police said.Neither driver was cited, and police said it will be left to the State's Attorney's Office to decide whether any charges will be filed.Yesterday, those who knew Beth struggled to deal with her death."She was a great kid ... always smiling," said Carin Peterson, Beth's junior varsity girls' lacrosse coach at Severna Park High School."You couldn't ask for a better kid. If I had a daughter, that's what I would want her to be like."
Word of the accident spread yesterday among Beth's friends and teammates. Some gathered at ateammate's house to grieve."Kind of in shock it doesn't seem believable," was how 15-yearold Katie Bishop described her and the other girls' emotions. "It hasn't set in yet that we're not going to see her."A friend of Beth's since sixth grade, Katie described her as funny, smart, a good athlete and a good friend."She's a lot of fun to hang out with. She's special," Katie said. "We love her a lot, and we're going to miss her."The Balasics declined to comment yesterday, and Mr. Cornett and the other men involved in the crash could not be reached for comment.
A native of Flemington, N.J., Beth was active at Severna Park High School. The family moved to the area from Clinton, N.J., in 1987, according to information provided by Barranco and Sons Funeral Home.A freshman, Beth was an honors student who played lacrosse and JV field hockey at the high school. She had also played on the Green Hor nets' basketball and softball teams.Prior to high school, her academic honors included the President's Academic Award and a Minds in Motion award.Ms. Peterson said the school will have crisis intervention teams available to help Beth's friends and schoolmates when classes resume Tuesday.
Funeral Services will be held Tuesday at St. John's Church in Severna Park, and contributions may be made to the Severna Park High School Boosters. ****A funeral Mass will be offered at 10 a.m. on Tuesday at St. John's Church in Severna Park for Bethany Anne Balasic of Severna Park, who was killed Friday night in a car accident. She was 15.Born in Flemington, New Jersey, Beth's family moved to Severna Park in 1987.She played on the Green Hornets basketball and softball teams and the Anne Arundel Select teams. At Severna Park High School, where she was a freshman, Beth played junior varsity girls' lacrosse and field hockey.Awarded the President's Academic Award and a Minds in Motion award in grade school, she was an honors student at the high school.She was also active at St. John's Church and enjoyed reading Agatha Christie books and being with her friends and her pets.She is survived by her parents, Paul and Claudia Balasic of Severna Park; and her two brothers, Christopher and Jonathan Balasic. She is also survived by two grandmothers, Pauline Balasic of Keysbey, N.J., and Irene Struff of Deerrfield Beach, Fla.
Word of the accident spread yesterday among Beth's friends and teammates. Some gathered at ateammate's house to grieve."Kind of in shock it doesn't seem believable," was how 15-yearold Katie Bishop described her and the other girls' emotions. "It hasn't set in yet that we're not going to see her."A friend of Beth's since sixth grade, Katie described her as funny, smart, a good athlete and a good friend."She's a lot of fun to hang out with. She's special," Katie said. "We love her a lot, and we're going to miss her."The Balasics declined to comment yesterday, and Mr. Cornett and the other men involved in the crash could not be reached for comment.
A native of Flemington, N.J., Beth was active at Severna Park High School. The family moved to the area from Clinton, N.J., in 1987, according to information provided by Barranco and Sons Funeral Home.A freshman, Beth was an honors student who played lacrosse and JV field hockey at the high school. She had also played on the Green Hor nets' basketball and softball teams.Prior to high school, her academic honors included the President's Academic Award and a Minds in Motion award.Ms. Peterson said the school will have crisis intervention teams available to help Beth's friends and schoolmates when classes resume Tuesday.
Funeral Services will be held Tuesday at St. John's Church in Severna Park, and contributions may be made to the Severna Park High School Boosters. ****A funeral Mass will be offered at 10 a.m. on Tuesday at St. John's Church in Severna Park for Bethany Anne Balasic of Severna Park, who was killed Friday night in a car accident. She was 15.Born in Flemington, New Jersey, Beth's family moved to Severna Park in 1987.She played on the Green Hornets basketball and softball teams and the Anne Arundel Select teams. At Severna Park High School, where she was a freshman, Beth played junior varsity girls' lacrosse and field hockey.Awarded the President's Academic Award and a Minds in Motion award in grade school, she was an honors student at the high school.She was also active at St. John's Church and enjoyed reading Agatha Christie books and being with her friends and her pets.She is survived by her parents, Paul and Claudia Balasic of Severna Park; and her two brothers, Christopher and Jonathan Balasic. She is also survived by two grandmothers, Pauline Balasic of Keysbey, N.J., and Irene Struff of Deerrfield Beach, Fla.
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