A twist of fate

Two hours after the crash: April 26, 2006

Whitney Cerak's mother, Colleen, had just heard that her daughter was one of nine people involved in a deadly crash on an Indiana freeway. She was desperate for news, hoping Whitney had survived. Then, around 10:45 p.m., the call came. It was the coroner. And the chaplain.

Matt Lauer: Can you as closely as possible remember exactly what they said to you on that phone call?

Colleen Cerak: I think they just told me that they were sorry. That Whitney was one of the victims in the accident. And that she had died. I just was just so sad that I just said, "Thank you." I didn't really talk very long on the phone. That's -- I just wanted to get off and talk to Newell. So I just went back into the kitchen where I could be alone and talk to Newell. So I called him right away. And that was just really hard, you know, to tell him.

Colleen Cerak: Just to -- it was just hard. That Whitney had died.

Matt Lauer: Newell, when you heard your wife's voice on the phone?

Newell Cerak: Well, of course I was hoping for the best. And when she goes, "Newell, I’m sorry." I mean I don't remember much after that. I just remember saying, "Sorry, she's gone." And -- and I just-- I just started crying like a baby. I just felt at a loss because I was so far from my wife and from Carly. And -- but it just -- it was devastating.

Whitney's father Newell was a thousand miles away on a church trip in Mississippi. Now someone had to tell their other daughter, Carly, what had happened. The family pastor offered to make the call.

Colleen Cerak: He knew that I was so heartbroken at that point it was hard for me to even talk to Carly.

Carly Cerak: As soon as I heard him I knew it must mean that Whitney wasn't alive. I remember just dropping the phone and just falling right there on the spot. And crying.

Carly had rushed to Marion General Hospital in Indiana in hopes of finding out her sister was alive. Now she was told Whitney had been dead for hours, her body just a few feet away. Carly couldn't bear to look.

Carly Cerak: I was too emotional to have to see the body. So they just brought me back to a separate room and gave me her purse. Which was horrible, even the sight of it. It smelled like gasoline and it was just dirty. And everything inside of it was snapped. And they said that the purse was found next to the body. Just the way it smelled, the way it looked, that that's what happened to Whitney. And it was really hard.

Newell was making arrangements to fly back from Mississippi. Colleen's pastor offered to drive her to Indiana, five hours away.

Matt Lauer: When you got to the hospital, you know, if this were a movie, the mother or the father would have walked in and said, "I know she's gone but take me to see my little girl."

Colleen Cerak: You know, I have a beautiful picture of Whitney in my head. I didn't want to have-- I didn't--

Matt Lauer: Did—

Colleen Cerak: I keep stuff in my head and I just -- I know that I couldn't -- I wanted the picture of Whitney who was just a beautiful, living, vibrant girl instead of-- I would keep that picture in my head as opposed to, you know, a battered body.

Six hours after the crash: April 27, 2006

Fifty miles away, at Parkview Hospital, Laura’s parents and sister were steeling themselves, preparing to see her for the first time since she'd been terribly injured in the crash.

Don Van Ryn: They told us at that point, “Expect to see her in an altered state. She's got tubes coming out everywhere.” You know, she's bruised up.

Lisa Van Ryn: She's not going to--

Don Van Ryn: --altered --

Lisa Van Ryn: -- look like herself.

Don Van Ryn: She's not going to look like herself.

Lisa Van Ryn: Right.

Matt Lauer: So when you walked in the room, what did she look like?

Susie Van Ryn: Man.

Don Van Ryn: What did we see?

Lisa Van Ryn: Well, a lot of things that were foreign -- like machines and tubes. And really she was wrapped to about here. We could see this much of her face. And she had a blanket over her and everything was wrapped up. And her eyes were closed. And a little bit of swelling, it looked like. And maybe some very minor cuts.

Lisa Van Ryn: But otherwise her face was--

Don Van Ryn: Well, she had a tube--

Lisa Van Ryn: --pretty intact. So--

Don Van Ryn: --stuck in the side of her mouth.

Lisa Van Ryn: Right.

Don Van Ryn: The respirator. So her mouth was pulled funny. And the tube in her head.

Matt Lauer: How hard was it to see, Susie? To see your daughter in that state?

Susie Van Ryn: Sorry.

Don Van Ryn: That's all right. It was very hard.

Susie Van Ryn: Very hard.

Matt Lauer: Did you say anything to her? I know she couldn't talk to you.

Susie Van Ryn: I don't remember specifically saying anything to her. But your heart just breaks. Or aches. To see your daughter or your child laying there helpless. And you are helpless to fix her.

Matt Lauer: You were handed a bag of her belongings? Correct?

Susie Van Ryn: Yes.

Matt Lauer: Did you recognize everything in the bag?

Susie Van Ryn: The purse and her wallet.

Lisa Van Ryn: Didn't recognize the shoes, but we always borrow clothes and share clothes. And so we thought, "Oh, she must have been wearing someone else's shoes."

Laura's mom Susie started a prayer journal, writings she intended to give her daughter to read when -- or if -- she recovered.

(Susie’s prayer journal)

When they brought us in to see you, honey, my heart was so full of love for you. To see my sweet sunshine girl hooked up to tubes was almost more than I could do. It amazes me that God has such strength when I am so weak. Only he could uphold me as he has.

While Laura’s family prepared for a long struggle to save their daughter, Whitney's family couldn't yet bring themselves to say goodbye. On April 27, the day after the crash, Taylor University held a prayer service for the victims. Whitney's mom Colleen attended.

Colleen Cerak: They had like the big projector screen. And they would flash the names of the different victims that had died. And then it just -- everybody in there was just praying for that person on the screen. And -- sorry I keep crying. I just remember the first time that -- they put Whitney’s name up there. I thought I would really cry hard but I just felt such a peace that every single person in there was praying for our family at that point. I did really feel a real strength.

Matt Lauer: Did it also really sink in at that moment?

Colleen Cerak: Everything was so much -- just all seems surreal to us. You know, just how could this be happening?

Whitney's father, Newell, was having the same feelings as he flew back from Mississippi.

Newell Cerak: It was surreal. It just seemed like the world was going on. And it just should stop, because my -- of the pain I was feeling.

His wife and remaining daughter met him at the airport.

Newell Cerak: It was very, very emotional. I came down the escalator and there they were. No words were spoken. We just ran into each other's arms and just started crying.

Matt Lauer: Did you pray together?

Newell Cerak: Oh, yeah. Yeah, we did.

Colleen Cerak: I don't even remember praying. I just remember just holding onto Newell and holding onto Carly and just really feeling that security of just being together. I just needed to be together with them.

They went back to Whitney’s dorm, picked up her belongings, and started the long drive back home. On the way they wrote Whitney’s obituary.

Colleen Cerak: Whitney Erin Cerak, age 18 of GayLord, died in a tragic car accident Wednesday, April 26, 2006 in Marion, Ind. She lived a wonderful and full, but short life. She was a freshman at Taylor University where she was growing in love and knowledge of her friend and savior, Jesus Christ. She is now living with Him in heaven.

While the Ceraks tried to sum up Whitney’s life, the Van Ryns kept a round-the-clock vigil over the critically injured Laura. The two families had never met, but their lives were already, inextricably, intertwined.

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