Halee Ludowise-Fischer and Jennifer Geren

Halee Ludowise-Fischer and Jennifer Geren, 15-year-old students at Nicolet High School, were killed in a car crash early Saturday morning.

My heart goes out to their families and friends. They must be overwhelmed with grief at the sudden loss of the girls.

It's unbearably sad.

Anyone, whatever one's age may be, is capable of making very bad decisions.

Certainly, sometimes kids may lack the maturity to behave responsibly. They're learning. They're in the process of growing up. They don't always do the right thing, and sometimes their choices may have devastating consequences.

I first read about the accident and the loss of the two young lives over the weekend. Yesterday, I learned more details of the deaths of Halee Ludowise-Fischer and Jennifer Geren.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

The two Nicolet High School students who died in a car crash early Saturday appear to have sneaked out of their homes without their parents' knowledge shortly before the crash, according to a report by the Milwaukee County medical examiner's office released Monday.

The report made no mention of toxicology reports, which are pending.

According to the report:

Driver Halee Ludowise-Fischer and Jennifer Geren, both 15, were driving east on W. Good Hope Road in Ludowise-Fischer's mother's 2009 Mitsubishi shortly before 1 a.m. when a River Hills police officer noticed a taillight on the vehicle was out. He activated his lights and tried to pull the car over, but the driver sped off, running through two traffic lights. The officer turned off his lights and stopped the chase.

Shortly after, he saw sparks flying in the air when the girls' car struck a transformer.

Ludowise-Fischer drove for another half-mile and lost control of the vehicle, crossing over toward the westbound lane. She struck a stop sign on the northeast corner at N. Seneca Ave. in Glendale, then a utility pole. The car rolled onto the passenger side, and the hood wrapped around a tree less than a mile from Nicolet High School.

North Shore Fire Department rescue personnel tried to get into the car, where the teens were pinned. The two girls suffered fatal head injuries, investigators at the medical examiner's office ruled Monday. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

Ludowise-Fischer had a learner's permit for driving.

Obviously, the girls made some poor choices and they paid with their lives.

As I said, kids make mistakes. They get in trouble. They do things they live to regret. Hopefully, they learn from their mistakes. It's part of growing up. Tragically, in this case, bad choices resulted in the worst possible outcome. It's heartbreaking.

Because I was somewhat familiar with what was previously reported about the accident, I was troubled by the coverage I saw on TMJ4's 10:00 PM newscast.

Of course, the families and friends of the girls are in shock. They're struggling to deal with their deaths. I don't expect them to be discussing the details that led to the tragic crash.

However, I was surprised by the comments attributed to guidance counselor Olivia Carter.

Guidance counselor Olivia Carter says accidents like this can't be prevented, but it's important for parents to communicate with their children.

"One of the things I want to encourage parents to do is continue to talk to their children, be a listener," Carter told TODAY'S TMJ4.

As everyone tries to make sense of such a troubling loss, they're reminded grief and devastation have no boundaries. Jenni geren's uncle, Bruce Pfleger, and family sadly, know all too well.

Pfleger told TODAY'S TMJ4, "You try to search for reasons for why something like this would have happened and there are no reasons. There is no logic to it. There's no explanation for it."

Here's video:



I understand the families' pain. My prayers are with them as they mourn the loss of their precious loved ones.

What I don't understand is what guidance counselor Olivia Carter is reported to have said.

Guidance counselor Olivia Carter says accidents like this can't be prevented, but it's important for parents to communicate with their children.

That's not true.

The sad reality is the accident was preventable. As a professional, Carter is not being responsible when she says "accidents like this can't be prevented." She's wrong. Of course, this sort of accident is entirely avoidable.

The details of the accident - deceiving one's parents, driving without a license, speeding, running lights to evade police - reveal choices that led to the tragedy. Different choices could have prevented the accident.

I wonder if TMJ4 screwed up. Given those circumstances, I can't believe a professional counselor would say the accident wasn't preventable.

Part of dealing with the loss is acknowledging the reality of what happened. As much as it hurts, denying the truth won't help in healing. It can only complicate it.

Right now, without question, family and friends need support and comfort as they grieve. This isn't the time for them to dwell on the girls' mistakes as they struggle with their loss.

However, when it comes to a counselor speaking to a reporter, it does a disservice to state that such accidents aren't preventable. It's an inaccurate statement.

Perhaps other 15-year-olds will make different choices because of this terribly sad accident.

Watching the TMJ4 report, one gets a false impression of the car crash that resulted in the girls' deaths.

Being sensitive to those in mourning is totally appropriate, but a news report shouldn't contain blatant inaccuracies and construct an alternate reality.

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UPDATE: Driver in fatal crash had no alcohol in system, report says