Survivors, journalists also victims of tragedy

My heart sank on Wednesday morning when I heard the news of the tragic deaths of Red Lion football players Stone Hill and Nicholas Mankin in a car crash in York County on Tuesday night.
Not just for the two young men who lost their lives far too young, but for those they left behind and for those whose job it is to tell the story of this tragedy.
Unfortunately, been there, done that.
I still remember how grief-stricken the Elco High School community was back in 2001, just days after the Sept. 11 tragedy, when popular student-athletes Abe Wagner and Brandon Blauch died as the result of a car crash. Etched in my mind’s eye forever is the scene about a week later at the annual Elco-Cedar Crest Ritter-Hoffman Cup when word began to get around that Blauch had lost his battle to live. Seeing the pain on the faces of the players, coaches and fans as the news spread was gut-wrenching. As a journalist, it’s a terrible position to be in. The story must be told, but it is difficult to do so without seeming morbid and intruding into the lives of those who are mourning.
Of course, it’s nothing compared to what the survivors must deal with as they struggle to come to terms with their loss.
I got an up-close-and-personal look at that in 2007, when the Palmyra field hockey team suffered the loss of teammate Cassie Altfather, who took her own life prior to the start of the postseason. The Cougars soldiered on magnificently, making a riveting run to the state finals amid their grief.
In many ways, it was an exhilarating ride Palmyra produced, but it was tinged with tragedy the whole way. Rest assured that team has many wonderful memories of their time together, but the pain of their loss has never completely gone away. It never really will.
That’s why my heart sank on Wednesday morning. I didn’t know the two boys that were killed and I don’t know most of the people – at least not well – who are immersed in this tragedy now.
But I do know what they’re going through. The lives of Hill and Mankin were cut horrifyingly short, but they are no longer in pain.
The people they left behind and those who must document the resulting grief, tragically, can’t say the same.