Grief counseling is available through noon today in the commons at DeKalb High School for students, staff or anyone needing support following the traffic death of a football player Friday, an administrator said.
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17, a linebacker and running back for the Barons who was the driver of a 2004 Volkswagen Passat, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash at 3:56 p.m.at the intersection of County Roads 40 and 19.
Padilla’s passenger, 16-year-old Lucas Oberkiser, was taken to a hospital in critical condition, after medics performed CPR on him.
Friday night’s football game against New Haven was canceled as a result.
Padilla was a football player at DeKalb.
“You’re not prepared to handle anything like this ever”, said DeKalb football coach Pete Kempf.
According to WPTA-TV in Fort Wayne, the DeKalb High School students were involved in a three-vehicle crash at CR 19 and CR 40 near Auburn.
The Cherokee hit Padilla’s vehicle broadside, which sent Padilla’s auto into a Hyundai Elantra headed northbound on CR 19. The Cherokee’s driver, Ryan Likens, 34, was conscious and complained of general pain.
Likens was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Oberkiser and Padilla were both in a 2004 Volkswagon Passat. A fourth person in a 2006 Hundai Elantra suffered no injuries.
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The scene of the auto crash at County Road 19 and County Road 40.
