DAMASCUS, Ore. (KOIN) — Two people in their early 20s and a teenager were killed Saturday night in a single-car crash in Damascus, officials said.
The crash happened around 11 p.m. February 18 on SE Wiese Road, Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office said. All 3 people died at the scene.
They have been identified as Cove resident Drew Noble, 21, Clackamas resident Brenna Collacchi, 21, and Oregon City resident Curtis Sowell, 16.
Sowell’s aunt, Melinda Haugen, fought back tears as she remembered her nephew.
“He was bubbly, witty, smart,” Haugen said. “His smile would light up a room… He did a lot of good stuff in his life. He made everybody happy and he loved everybody.”
Investigators are still working to determine the exact cause of the crash, but the sheriff’s office said they believe speed may have been a factor.
Haugen said the crash could have been avoided.
“They had been drinking,” she said. “Curtis made one mistake of getting in the car with them, and he lost his life over it.”
Sowell was a student at Oregon City High School. He was in the junior ROTC program and, according to his aunt, wanted to pursue a career in the military.
“That was something he valued,” Haugen said. “That’s what he was shooting for.”
Friends on social media remembered the 16-year-old as one-of-a-kind, a friend who always knew how to cheer up anyone who was having a bad day.
Students at OCHS plan to wear Sowell’s color, purple, Tuesday in his honor.