Cross-country coach Alice Muto knew something was terribly wrong when she saw the two vehicles piled up, one of them badly twisted by a head-on collision.
"I felt sheer panic when I saw the accident scene," she said. "I saw the red car and knew one of my kids had a red car."In a strange accident Wednesday, two vehicles carrying members of a high school cross-country team collided an hour before a meet. One youth was killed and three others were seriously injured.
Seth Burton, 17, a passenger in a 1988 Ford Festiva, died after being thrown from the car and crushed beneath its wheels.
The car collided with a 1998 Ford Windstar van, driven by Catherine Wilmoth, 39. Her son, Andy, 14, a passenger in the van, also is on the team. A 17-year-old was in critical condition Thursday.
Sheriff's Deputy J.C. Parker said the driver apparently lost control of his car and swerved into the path of Wilmoth's van.