Loss of young lives is hard to bear

Within the past week, three college girls from Columbia County have died in violent car wrecks that injured six other people.

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This isn't the first time our community has felt the emotional impact of traffic fatalities involving our young people. Three years ago, a string of crashes in a year's time killed nine Columbia County youths.

That doesn't lessen the shock of these more recent deaths.

First was Callie Meadows, an 18-year-old Greenbrier High School graduate killed Feb. 2 in a head-on crash in Appling. Then, this past weekend, 2005 Lakeside High School graduates Jessica Fulmer and Melissa Eustice were killed Sunday on Interstate 16 in Metter, Ga., while heading back to school at Georgia Southern University. A third student, Jamie Lynn Carter of Warner Robbins, was critically injured.

We'll likely never know why Meadows abruptly crossed the center line into the path of an oncoming vehicle that Saturday afternoon. And unless the Georgia State Patrol finds the car some witnesses say swerved in front of the SUV Eustice was driving, questions also will remain unanswered in Sunday's crash.

What we do know is that promising young lives have once again been ripped from our community. Redoubling our efforts to remind young drivers to slow down, pay attention and buckle up will help prevent future tragedies, but for Callie Meadows, Jessica Fulmer and Melissa Eustice, the only thing left is mourning.

May God have mercy on these young souls, and provide comfort to their grieving families.