One George Fox student dies,

3 seriously hurt, as cars crash

   SHERWOOD — One George Fox University undergraduate student was killed and three were seriously injured in a fiery two-car auto accident in Sherwood early morning Sunday, Nov. 18.
    Cara Moran, a senior history major from Chandler, Ariz., who had been scheduled to graduate this month, died at the scene. The injured students are Faven Yirdaw, a senior from Portland, Arianne Reagor, a senior from Kelso, Wash., and Kim Cullen, a senior from Kelso, Wash. At press time, Yirdaw remained in intensive care at Oregon Health Sciences University Hospital in Portland, Cullen was moved out of intensive care there, and Reagor was in fair condition at Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland after surgery for multiple breaks in her leg.
    The accident occurred at 12:48 a.m. The four female students were headed southbound on US. Highway 99W in a Ford Crown Victoria when they were hit by a Ford Focus driving north in the southbound lane. The driver of the Focus, Sydney Diller, 26, of Clackamas, died at the scene. The fire, confined to the Focus, left Diller’s body unrecognizable; identification was through dental records.
    Sherwood Police arrived two minutes later and removed the students from the Crown Victoria. Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue arrived at 12:52 and stabilized the injured students.
    The families of the students were notified within hours. Students on the Newberg campus were informed by e-mail later that morning. On Monday, Nov. 19, the regular chapel service was cancelled as students and staff gathered for a prayer service led by President Robin Baker and campus pastor Sarah Thomas Baldwin. Students wrote notes to the Moran family and messages to the injured students on large posterboard cards.
    A memorial service for Moran will be held at 4 p.m. Monday, Dec. 3 in Wood-Mar Auditorium on the Newberg campus. “This is a terrible tragedy and I trust we will continue to uphold one another in prayer and that God’s presence, peace, and strength will be very real among us,” wrote Brad Lau, vice president for student life, in his e-mail to students. “This is clearly one of those things that is difficult to understand this side of eternity.
   “... Please be in prayer for Cara’s family and friends during this time of deep sadness and loss as well as a quick and complete recovery for Arianne, Kim, and Faven. Of course, I’d also encourage you to pray for the family of the driver of the other vehicle as well.”
   The Oregonian reported that Reagor, from her hospital room, recalled that she and the three other students were returning from a night out in Portland when they saw the Ford Focus heading their way. Reagor said she didn’t remember the crash itself, but recalled people pulling her from the car immediately afterward.
   A spokesman for Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue said the Focus exploded on impact, with flames shooting 15 feet in the air and heat so intense it popped tires.