Support pours in for girls’ families

There was an outpour of support Monday as friends, classmates and family tried to make sense of the tragic loss of three local teenagers in a fatal car wreck early Saturday morning.

Chickasha Public Schools Superintendent Jim Glaze said it was a terrible tragedy and in response the schools have made counseling available to any student affected.

Two of the girls, Sara S. Lane, 15, and Kalynn B. Pena, 14, were students in Chickasha schools. Heather Doughty, 17, was the driver of the vehicle and a student at AmPo. All of the girls were cousins. They, along with a Waukomis died of the head-on collision on U.S. 81 near the Chickasha Airport.

Jennifer Pena, said her daughter and Lane were especially close.

Pena said her daughter was the rock of the family. She kept everything together, looked after her younger siblings and brought smiles to the faces of those around her.

"I don't want everything to fall apart," her mother said. "Kalynn was really unique. She had a personality to die for."

Kalynn’s cousin Sara was not only a fun loving teenager, she was also the mother of an five-month-old boy named Kayden. Her mother, Becky Lane, said that just before Sara died she expressed the love she felt as a mother.

"She realized how deep the love between a mother and a child is," Lane said. "I miss her so much, and I'm going to take good care of her baby. I just wish here was some way I could send my love to her, hold her and tell her I lover her."

One thing that is giving the family a feeling of peace is knowing their daughters were saved by Jesus Christ the night before the accident. The girls were excited about their new lives. Bibles and other church information were found in the car after the incident.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol is investigating the exact cause of the accident.

Just after midnight Doughty was driving a 1997 Pontiac with Pena and Lane as passengers souhthbound on Hwy. 81, according to Oklahoma Highway Patrol reports. Doughty swerved across the center stripe and slammed head-on into Delbert and Joseph"Mike" Tolle's 2003 Jeep Cherokee. Pena and Delbert Tolle, 69, perished at the scene of the accident. Doughty and Lane were taken to Grady County Memorial where they died a short time later.

Joseph M. Tolle, 43, remains in the Intensive Care Unit at the OU Medical Center's trauma center. He is listed in critical condition. He is reported to have a shattered femur, pelvis, and facial bones, as well as brain injuries.

The Doughty and Tolle families could not be reached for comment..

On Monday the Chickasha United Teachers Association set up a memorial fund for Pena and Lane. The fund goes to help families take care of funeral arrangements and get through this difficult time.

Checks can be made payable to the girls individually, and should be sent to First National Bank P.O. Box 1130, Chickasha, OK 73023.