Funeral Plans Set for Students and Deputy Killed in Crash
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A community is in mourning tonight following a car crash that claimed the lives of three teenagers and a sheriff’s deputy in Elmore County.Â
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All three teens were students at Wetumpka High School.
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The crash happened on Firetower Road in Wetumpka.
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One boy is still in the hospital, but he was the only one to survive.
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16 year old Nicholas Benjamin was driving around 8 o’clock Sunday night when his car somehow crossed the center line, crashing into Elmore County Sheriff Deputy Bart Hart, killing Hart and the three passengers in his car.
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State Troopers are looking into what happened, but everyone who died that night is already missed.
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Deputy Bart Hart was a retired firefighter from Montgomery, and Assistant Chief Bill Petrey knew him very well. The two were even neighbors.
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“It’s a tremendous loss. There are a lot of people grieving and it’s a loss not only for individual people but a loss for the community because Bart was a great person,” said Petrey.
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Hart served the last 5 years as a deputy with Elmore County.
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Wetumpka High Students are taking the loss of their three classmates Hoyt Hardin, Austin Augustine, and Dylan Bieber hard as well.
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Leah Hill was close with all of them, especially Bieber who she was texting right before the crash.
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“I think everybody is taking it how they should be. Not too bad, not too good. But you can’t help if God wants his angels, he wants them. You can’t help it,” said Hill.
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She says the group was great at making people laugh, and she has fond memories of each of them.
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“They all had different personalities. Hoyt loves to lift weights, he loves being big. Austin loved playing basketball. Dylan just loved being himself,” said Hill.
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Funeral arrangements have been made for all four victims.
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James Bart Hart
Visitation:
Tuesday November 25, 2014, 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at Thelma Baptist Church
Funeral Service:
Wednesday November 26, 2014, 11:00 a.m. at Thelma Baptist Church
Burial:
Wednesday November 26, 2014 at Central Baptist Church Cemetery —————————————————————-
Austin Ryan AugustineÂ
Visitation will be from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. Saturday at Redland Baptist Church.
Funeral Service Saturday November 29, 2014, 11 a.m. at Redland Baptist Church —————————————————
Hoyt Elliot Hardin
Funeral Service:
Wednesday November 26, 2014, 11:00 a.m. at Mulder Memorial United Methodist Church
Private Graveside:
Wednesday November 26, 2014 at Greenwood Cemetery
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Dylan Bieber
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society .
A Celebration of Life Service will be held at Alabama Heritage Funeral Home at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, November 28, 2014 with Minister John Schmidt officiating. Burial will follow in Alabama Heritage Cemetery.
Visitation will be held on Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m.
The family request casual dress.
