High school student killed after car flips
The Associated Press
ANCHORAGE (September 12, 10:00 a.m. ADT) - An 18-year-old Anchorage student was killed Thursday night in a single-vehicle rollover crash, Anchorage police said.
Nate Kampen, a student at Dimond High School, was ejected when he lost control of the Ford Explorer he was driving and it flipped on a road in the Hillside neighborhood, Sgt. Nancy Reeder said.
Kampen's passenger, a 17-year-old girl, another Dimond student, 'walked away without a scratch,' Reeder said.
Kampen was not wearing a seat belt at the time, the sergeant said. The passenger was so distraught that it could not be learned whether she wore a seat belt, Reeder added.
'I'm guessing that from the lack of injuries to her, she was wearing one,' Reeder said.
The accident occurred about 5:45 p.m. and was preceded by 'some sort of argument' in the car, according to Reeder.
From evidence on the road, and from the girl's statement, it appeared that Kampen swerved suddenly, Reeder said.
'There were indications from statements from her that he was angry and he was jerking the steering wheel,' Reeder said.
The Explorer apparently traveled into the right-side ditch, then came back quickly to the pavement while rotating counterclockwise, she said. It flipped at least twice, landing on its tires in the opposite lane, Reeder added.
'This was a survivable collision,' she said. 'What is most heartbreaking is that he was on the cusp of his life, and for the lack of a seat belt he has lost that life.'
http://www.adn.com/alaska_ap/story/3902185p-3925281c.html
Nate was a really good friend of mine, and the chick in the vehicle with him was Eva Velarde, his girlfriend of about a year. She had been treating him like shit lately, and that's why they were fighting. Anyway, today was a mess at school. So many people were crying, and they had a whole room upstairs with posters and banners for people to sign to send to his parents. My best friend, Alysyn, wrote a really really touching poem in first hour, and they were handing out copies to everyone. My friend, Nathan, works for a T-shirt shop thing, and he's going to make a bunch with Nate's dignature on the front and 'In loving memory of Nate Kampen.' with his birth and death dates on the back.
I was really really pissed off and upset today for numerous reasons. Nate was a senior with me (I've known him for about six years), and a lot of the underclassmen were saying complete bull shit like that he deserved to die because he wasn't wearing his seatbelt and what not. That pissed me off so bad. They didn't even know him... he was the sweetest and most caring person. I always told him that he should wear it because he was going to get hurt some day, but I didn't ever imagine it would end up like this. People were also joking around and saying bull shit like, 'haha, I knew someone was going to die on 9/11.' I seriously just about punched some bitches for saying that. I saw him about an hour before he died. We were driving, and he and I did our little honking the horn joke that we always to do each other when we see one another driving. Anyway, I ate a whole pie at Village Inn.
Rest in peace, Nate.
-Sarah Daulton Oates
a.k.a. Sarz or Oatesie
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