Police: Alcohol a factor in Plainfield youth's accident
Toolbox
By Thatcher Moats Times Argus Staff - Published: November 20, 2009
PLAINFIELD – The Vermont State Police have determined that underage drinking played a role in the car crash that killed 17-year-old Caidin McKeever last June in Plainfield, but the role of a tractor trailer truck that was on the road at the same time may remain a mystery.
Police suspected that McKeever was drinking before he got behind the wheel of his car and drove east on Route 2 with four passengers. And a toxicology report performed as part of the investigation has confirmed that initial conclusion, police said, showing McKeever's blood-alcohol level to be .08 percent, which is the legal limit for an adult.
The crash took place at about 2 a.m. on June 23. Before the accident, McKeever was at a gathering at the Plainfield Rec Field and then went to a private residence, police said. McKeever was driving someone home when his eastbound Honda Civic veered off the right side of the road into a tree, said police.
McKeever was not wearing his seatbelt and died at the scene.
The layout of the crash scene and the nature of the crash prevented investigators from having good skid marks to review in order to precisely pinpoint the vehicle's speed. But based on statements from passengers in McKeever's car, police determined the car was traveling between 40 and 50 mph at the time of the accident.
"Most of the spinning tire motion we needed was actually in gravel or dirt," said state police trooper Robert Lucas, who investigated the crash.
The speed wasn't tremendous, but Lucas said it was still a factor.
"Although it wasn't a huge speed, it was a 35 mile-per-hour zone there," said Lucas.
During their investigation, police were told a white tractor trailer truck that was driving in the opposite direction veered into McKeever's lane just before the crash, which would suggest he may have swerved to miss it. Police confirmed the presence of a truck, but weren't able to pin down what role, if any, it played in the accident.
One passenger in McKeever's car said the tractor trailer truck drove into McKeever's lane, but another passenger was "adamant" it did not, according to Lucas.
A nearby resident looked outside moments after hearing the car crash and saw a tractor trailer that was driving much slower than trucks normally go through that area, said Lucas.
But the truck apparently never stopped, and police never found the make, model or driver of the truck.
Police concluded the truck "may have been a contributing factor in the collision."
The other passengers in McKeever's car were injured but survived.
McKeever's death led to an outpouring of emotion in the Marshfield and Plainfield areas, the two towns that send their students to Twinfield from kindergarten through 12th grade.
There was a candlelight vigil outside a church in downtown Plainfield that drew about 200 people. Flowers and photos were placed in front of the church and at the crash scene.
A few days later, hundreds of people gathered at Twinfield Union School for a celebration of McKeever's life, where the teen was remembered as a happy, fun-loving, "sweet" young man.
Lucas said the crash was very unfortunate.
"It's one of those deals that, you know, in doing investigation and talking with family members, he was very excited about his upcoming life," said Lucas. "It was a huge loss, not only for them but also friends and family."
Police said they plan to continue investigating where McKeever got the alcohol.
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