Pennsylvania: Jonathan Tourney, 14, and Taylor Orlowski, 18, died in a deadly crash in McCandless.
Two Teenagers passed away after an SUV veered off the road and hit a tree in McCandless, Pennsylvania, overnight on Saturday, December 23, 2023. The medical examiner identified the victims as 18-year-old Taylor Orlowski and 14-year-old Jonathan Tourney.
What happened to Jonathan Tourney?
Jonathan Tourney, a 14-year-old ninth-grade student-athlete at Pine Richland High School, passed away after being fatally injured in a motor vehicle accident.
According to Allegheny County Police, an 18-year-old woman was speeding an SUV on Irwin Road near Babcock Boulevard when she lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a tree around 3 a.m. on Saturday, December 23, 2023.
Emergency services responding to the scene found six people inside the vehicle. An 18-year-old woman, later identified by the medical examiner as Taylor Orlowski, was pronounced dead at the scene, and 14-year-old Jonathan Tourney was flown to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Two passengers were taken to the hospital and were in stable condition. Two others were not injured.
The Pine-Richland School District informed the families in a message that the victims of the crash were current and former students, including Jonathan Tourney, who was a ninth grader and was on the high school football team, and one other student who had been treated for injuries.
Who was Jonathan Tourney?
Jonathan Tourney was a ninth-grade student-athlete at Pine-Richland High School. He was on the school’s football team. He is described as an active kid who loves ice skating, fishing, and adventure sports. Coach LeDonne spoke with the local media and called the crash tragic. The tourney family had been through a lot with the death of their father earlier this year. He said Jonathan always looked out for his teammates.
“A great kid was always smiling, lit up the room when he walked in, very caring, willing to do whatever was needed for his teammates,” LeDonne said.
A GoFundMe page has been Established
A neighbor, Joe Merhaut, wanted to do something to help the devastated family and set up a GoFundMe page. In an interview with a local news magazine, he said, “I’ve known Jonathan since he’s been a baby,” he continued, “Everything he does, he does it 150%.”
He set up the fundraiser to help Jonathan’s mother, Ellie. The Tourney family has been through a lot this year as Jonathan’s father, David Tourney, died from a brain tumor at 62 just seven months ago.
The target was set at 30,000 dollars. The fundraiser raised over 62,000 dollars in less than four hours. As of this publication, over 106,000 dollars have been raised to help the devastated Tourney family.
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