ARCADIA, Ind. – An Indiana high school was scheduled to have prom on Saturday night, but just before 7 p.m. the school canceled prom after receiving news of two students who died and two others who were injured in a crash on their way to the prom, according to local NBC affiliate -- WTHR.
Hamilton Heights School Corporation Superintendent Derek Arrowood wrote a message to families sharing the tragic news.
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“We are reaching out to share there has been an accident involving Hamilton Heights students on their way to prom,” Arrowood said. “It is with deep sadness and a heavy heart that we have been informed that two students involved in this accident have died from their injuries.”
Posted by Hamilton Heights School Corporation on Saturday, May 1, 2021
The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office told WTHR that at 5:15 p.m. deputies were alerted of a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of 281st Street and Lacy Road.
One of the vehicles was a Honda Accord with four teens in it. The group was on their way to prom in Kokomo when they were t-boned by an SUV and both vehicles ended up in a nearby field.
When officers arrived at the crash they found two of the high school students in the Honda Accord had died. They identified the driver as Lendon Byram, and his front-seat passenger as Kalen Hart.
A tweet from Cathedral High School identified Byram as a student there.
It is with great sadness and a heavy heart we share the passing of Lendon Byram '22. Cathedral will have counselors and members of our faith-based community on our athletic/football practice field Sunday at 1 p.m. to gather, grieve, and pray. Rest in peace, Lendon. pic.twitter.com/UcwbAR5UDh
— Cathedral HS (@GoCathedral) May 2, 2021
The two back seat passengers were not identified by police or the school.
Jacob Cook, of Arcadia, said he and his family were at a house on the southeast side of the intersection Saturday having a celebration of life for a family member that had died. He and about 50 others at the celebration witnessed the crash.
According to Cook, when they heard the crash they jumped up to help.
“You know when I came around …one of the vehicles, the driver was already out. So, I went immediately to the other vehicle and came around and knew it was serious,” Cook said.
Cook called 911 and the school to let them know what happened. Other members of his family stayed with the two passengers who survived and helped them call their family.
“Just the whole where you were getting ready and you were going to go eat and you were just going to enjoy being young and having so much to look forward to. To have that cut short in such a tragic way. It’s tough,” Cook said.
“As a dad, as a member of the community, as someone who loves where they’re from … something like this, all that matters is just those families … you know, the parents and just losing life way too young,” Cook said.
The other two passengers in the Honda Accord were taken to St. Vincent Hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
The person driving the SUV declined medical assistance at the scene.
Arrowood said all scheduled prom activities have been canceled. The school corporation had grief counselors and members of its faith-based community at the Elite Banquet Center in Kokomo and Hamilton Heights High School Media Center.
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