Friends remember Monument car crash victims

Classmates at Palmer Ridge High School in Monument flocked to their football field, remembering two Monument teenagers killed in a car crash Monday morning.

Those students started a hashtag on Twitter: #monumentstrong.

It’s designed to share their memories of 17-year-old Beau Begier and 18-year-old Ryan Pappas.

The two were killed in a car crash.

Colorado State Patrol said their car veered off Hogden Road near Roller Coaster around 1 a.m. Monday. They also say alcohol played a role in the crash.

Classes will go on as scheduled Tuesday, but hundreds of students spent Monday just taking in the news – a life lesson that hit too close to home.

Senior Zach Bird recalled when he found out his friends had died.

“I was at my house, one of my friends called me, asked if I was okay, and I didn’t even know why she was asking,” Bird said.

He, and hundreds more students, are now coping with the loss of their friends.

They’d hoped a vigil at the school’s football field would start the healing process.

“This is really a student-led, student-organized opportunity for kids to support each other,” said Karen Brofft, D38 Superintendent.

Meanwhile, a roadside memorial sits near the site where Beau Begier and Ryan Pappas died.

The state patrol said the two were in a car which was speeding through the intersection.

The car went flying through the air, landed, then veered and crashed into a nearby ditch.

The 17-year-old driver survived and has been placed under arrest.

Investigators believe alcohol played a factor in the crash.

“We have to teach our kids to make healthy choices, not only with regard to choosing substances they shouldn’t be consuming, but taking care of their bodies and making the right decisions,” said Brofft.

“There’s a lot of peer pressure and everything, because it’s cool. Whatever,” Bird said. “Even though, they may have gotten into some stuff, they’re still just great kids.”

Counselors will be on hand when classes resume.