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AP

Students, community mourn teens killed in crash

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THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Neillsville High School students Tiffany Shubert, left, and Paul Ritter comfort one another Monday outside of Neillsville, where a fiery crash killed five people, including four of their friends.

NEILLSVILLE (AP) — One victim, 15-year-old Louella Blackdeer, had set her sights on running in next year's Boston Marathon.

Another, 15-year-old Daniel Riddle, liked skateboards and camping out.

The other two teens killed in a fiery post-prom crash were brothers Dylan Glebke, 17, the driver, and Cole Glebke, 16.

"They were both good kids," said the Glebkes' aunt, LeAnna Poeschl. "This just shouldn't have happened."

The four students from Neillsville High School died early Sunday when their car collided nearly head-on with a van on a straight stretch of road just a few miles from school. Both vehicles burst into flames, killing the teens and the van's driver.

The young people had attended the spring prom at the high school and then gone out afterwards. Investigators Monday were still trying to determine if the post-prom activities involved drinking, Clark County Sheriff Dale Olson said.

Two beer cans were found near the crash site. Olson said it was impossible to determine whether the cans came from either vehicle.

Tests on the victims' blood could take a week to finish, Olson said.

The crash happened in the southbound lane, but Olson said investigators were uncertain which direction the two vehicles were going.

"Until we reconstruct it, I'm not going to put anybody at fault," he said.

Killed along with the teens, who all were from Neillsville, was the van's driver, David Breu, 34, of Marshfield.

Breu, a fisherman, may have been leaving on a fishing trip or returning from a fishing trip, the sheriff said.

Investigators have only been able to trace the teens' whereabouts up to 1 a.m., about an hour after the prom ended. The crash happened about 3 a.m. Sunday. At one point the teens went to Blackdeer's home, Olson said.

Poeschl, 26, of Marshfield said the Glebke family was not exactly sure what happened before the crash, but she was convinced her nephew was not drinking.

Eighteen-year-old Greg Donhaghe said he couldn't believe what happened.

"If there were some other kids I heard died in a car accident, I wouldn't be surprised, just by the way they drive," he said. "But not Dylan. He was a nice guy. He wasn't a typical party animal."

Dylan Glebke, a junior, enjoyed art and was in the high school's fine arts club.

Seventeen-year-old Leah Langreck said Dylan worked at a sandwich shop and often gave free sandwiches to his friends.

Cole Glebke, 16, a freshman, liked skateboarding, friends said.

The brothers were close and often hung out together, their aunt said.

Blackdeer, a sophomore, was a member of the Ho-Chunk nation. Last December, she completed a marathon in Hawaii.

Sixteen-year-old Angela Weeks said she and Blackdeer had been friends since they were 4.

"She was passionate about running her whole life," Weeks said. "She was training to run in the Boston Marathon next year."

Riddle was a smiling, tall youth who loved skateboarding and camping outdoors in a makeshift shack he and his cousin built, his aunt Tami Kren told the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram.

Derek Hull, 17, described Riddle as laid back. "He never let anything bother him."

One thing Riddle did religiously was buy soda at a shop called Marty's in town. "They are only a quarter," Hull said.

"Four (young) people killed on a weekend that is so special. It is any parent's nightmare," said Ron Troyer, director of the funeral home handling arrangements for the four young victims.

A steady stream of young people visited Monday at the crash site, a two-lane highway where the speed limit is 55 mph.

Visitors left at least 25 bouquets of flowers. Two signs were staked into the ground, one reading "You will never be forgotten," and another reading "Dylan, Cole, Danny, Louella. We miss you."

Jon Siebert, 17, said he skipped morning classes at school but had to go at lunch to talk about the deaths.

The mood was sad, and the school was eerily quiet, he said. Classmates were crying and hugging each other. A red rose was attached to the doors of the victims' lockers, Siebert said.

Many students talked to counselors, social workers or local ministers who were at the school, said Superintendent John Gaier.

The school of 430 students in this city of 2,600 is small enough that most students at least knew of the victims, Gaier said.

Todd Bredlau, 17, carried a single white balloon to the crash scene.

From behind his sunglasses a tear rolled down his cheek as he explained he received the balloon in a bouquet for doing well in a recent singing contest and he felt he had to bring it as a tribute.

"I want to let them know everybody cares."

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