Yesterday afternoon, 2012 SM East graduate Mark Harken died in a single-car accident in Clinton, Mo. Along with Mark, Lincoln College Preparatory Academy graduate Clay Miller died in the accident. 2012 East graduates Evan Westhoff, Gage Hamilton and Lukas Fleming, as well as 2013 East graduate David Draxler were also involved in the accident, sustaining serious injuries. The accident occurred when Harken lost control of the vehicle, causing the car to veer off the road, strike a group of trees and flip over.
According to a Facebook post from Mark’s brother, senior Erik Harken, the six boys were piled into a five-person car. The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports that only Fleming was wearing a seatbelt at the time. Westhoff, Hamilton, Fleming and Draxler are currently being treated at three separate hospitals. KMBC reports that Westhoff was not wearing a seatbelt, and was thrown from the vehicle.
The Harbinger will continue to update with information about the boys’ conditions, the accident itself and any memorials that take place for Mark and Miller.
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