Wesley Chapel High (WCH) sophomore Jaret Michael Harshman was killed and two other Wesley Chapel teenagers were injured Wednesday night in a horrific car accident in Brooksville.
Harshman, who was 15 years old, was taken by helicopter to Bayonet Point Hospital where he died, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Harshman’s father, Mike, posted the news to Facebook.
“This evening on his way to church with friends, our oldest son Jaret was killed in a fatal car accident,’’ he wrote. “He was just shy of his 16th birthday on December 28th. Kristi & I are numb & distraught – it seems surreal to us. We love Jaret, and are so proud of him – a terrible hole will be felt in our family forever, and we are still in shock over this.”
WCH graduate Ryan Scott Miller, 18, and his brother Michael Miller, 17 and a current student at the school, were in the car with listed by the FHP with minor injuries.
According to the Facebook page of the Brooksville Christian Church, where the boys headed, Ryan Miller sustained abdominal injuries and Michael Miller had to undergo surgery for his injuries.
Ryan Scott Miller was driving a blue 2006 Chevrolet Aveo northbound on Culbreath Road, and drove through a stop sign at the intersection of County Rd. 572 (Powell Road) according to the FHP. Christopher Russell of Spring Hill was heading westbound on County Rd. 572 in a 2014 Dodge Ram, and slammed into the right side of the Chevy Aero, which spun counter-clockwise before settling into the north grass shoulder. The Dodge Ram rotated clockwise into a utility pole in the grass shoulder.
Everyone was wearing their seatbelts.
Russell did not suffer any injuries.
“Thanks to all for your prayers and thoughts,’’ Jaret’s mother Kristi wrote on Facebook. “We find comfort in knowing where Jaret is and it’s so much better for him than it is for us. I don’t want to say we’ve “lost” him…someone is not lost when you know where they are. We will meet again. But we miss him with a sorrow that can’t be explained. It is so deep. I love him and miss him so, so much.”
Kristi added that Jaret was hoping to attend Florida Christian College and become a youth minister.
The students, faculty and staff of WCH (30651 Wells Road) will remember Jaret, an honor roll student at the school, on the school track Friday night at 5 p.m.
Jaret ran on the Wildcats cross country team last season, and those attending, led by the cross country team, will walk a lap around the track while holding a banner signed by the students and staff.
No comment yet, add your voice below!