Spartanburg County mourns four students dead in the last two weeks

On Wednesday, the Roebuck Community mourned three Dorman High School students killed in a deadly crash. This, just a week and a half after another Dorman High student, Brady Murphy died in a crash on I-26.Throughout the day, family members and friends laid flowers on the spot Aben Sisk, Daniel Diaz, and Itzel Garcia-Trejo crashed into a semitruck at the intersection of Fairforest Clevedale Road and Old Blackstock Road. Other students are taking the loss hard. "You know, a majority of students will have known these students. Because as big as Dorman is, it's a small community," said Susan Lea, a licensed therapist and former Dorman mom. "I've worked, you know, hundreds of these cases, which is sad," Rusty Clevenger, the Spartanburg County coroner, said. "But I mean, when you get down to it, I believe what shocked everybody is the loss of potential."Today, Spartanburg District 6 released a statement, saying: We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of three of our Dorman High School students, Aben Sisk, Daniel Diaz, and Itzel Garcia-Trejo, who were involved in a fatal car accident. Three lives, full of promise and potential, are gone far too soon. There are no words to express the grief their families and our entire school community are experiencing. Our hearts are shattered and the weight of this loss echoes throughout our hallways and classrooms this morning. This tragedy comes as our District Six family is still grieving the recent loss of another student less than two weeks ago. To lose so many young lives in such a short period of time is inconceivable. Counselors and support teams are in place to help our students, faculty, and staff begin to process this tragedy. Much like families do in times of grief, we will lean on one another for strength, comfort, and healing. We ask that you keep the families of Aben, Daniel, and Itzel in your thoughts and prayers as they face this overwhelming loss. The District Six Family will stand beside them in the days ahead, offering love and support, during their unimaginable grief.A district representative told us Wednesday they had grief counselors on hand to help staff, faculty, and students through their grief."It may show up as anger, numbness, silences, confusion. Sometimes youth try to go through their daily activities, and sometimes they have a hard time with that," Lea said.Clevenger says, unfortunately, these deaths could have been prevented."You know, speed was a factor in this, and really, you know, it shouldn't have happened, but sadly enough, I see it day in and day out there," he said.The coroner said this latest deadly crash means Spartanburg County has had the most people die in fatal crashes so far this year.As family, friends, and teachers grieve, Lea says the community can help by just being there for those affected. "This might mean checking in on families who are grieving, it might mean giving students space to express their emotions without rushing them to move on. It might mean offering meals or rides or a listening ear," she said.