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SBU Loses Another Student in Crash

By Jefferson Strait
Springfield News-Leader

Wedenesday, February 21, 2001



Less than three months after an accident killed three Southwest Baptist
University students, another SBU student was killed in a one-vehicle
accident in Polk County early Tuesday.

Nick Dattilo, 21, of Lee’s Summit, was killed about 1 a.m. when the
vehicle he was riding in ran off a road about three miles east of Bolivar
and struck an embankment, the Missouri Highway Patrol reported.
The vehicle, driven by SBU student Jesse Perry, 22, of Ballwin, came
to rest in a creek, partially submerged in water. Dattilo was thrown
from the auto and was found submerged 63 feet from the vehicle,
the patrol said.

Perry was taken to Citizens Memorial Hospital in Bolivar, where he
was treated for moderate injuries and released. Another SBU student,
Kevin Foerster, 22, of St. Louis, was not injured.

Steve Morrow, vice president of student development at SBU, said
that Dattilo’s death was believed to be the result of injuries suffered
from the impact, and not from drowning.

He said that alcohol did not appear to be a factor in the crash. The
students were looking for a bridge in rural Polk County when the
accident occurred, he said.

Morrow said the tragedy is hard to take after three SBU students
were killed in a one-vehicle accident in Greene County Dec. 3.
He said that one word summed up the feelings of many as they
heard the news of Dattilo’s death Tuesday morning: disbelief.

“That’s probably the word that a lot of people are using, that they
just can’t believe that this happened again so soon,” he said.

“It sure seems like we have more than our share of tragedies like
this,” he said. “I’m not sure how to explain it. I’m not sure I can
explain it except to say we’re all too used to dealing with this kind
of thing.”



Source (The Springfield News Leader only archives for one week):  http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com/news/n022101b.html