As loved ones mourn 3 teen victims, police look for answers in fatal crash near Stuart
August 5th, 2009 by Daphne Duret
See more photosTheresa Caputo of Stuart, in black, hugs another woman Wednesday at the scene of a memorial that was built along Cove Road near Stuart. Caputo, a mother of three, said her children all knew and grew up with those killed. (DEBORAH SILVER/Treasure Coast Newspapers)
A few teenagers in board shorts and T-shirts lifted their sunglasses just long enough to wipe away their tears and hug one another in the grass along Cove Road Wednesday afternoon as they stood above a swelling memorial site.
Amid her tears, a mother bent down, reached through the letters, flowers and mementos and clutched a golf ball in her hand.
Angela Coady said she knew one of her son Nick’s friends had put it there intending for it to stay, but when she saw it she decided she had to take it with her.
“The last time I saw him he was going to play golf. He was happy as a lark,” she said. “The next time I saw him, he was dead.”
Nick Coady, 18, and his friends — Christopher Harold Briglio, 18, and Connor William Graver, 16, — were all killed early Tuesday when the Jeep Grand Cherokee that Coady was driving slammed into the back of a John Deere truck and overturned.
On Wednesday, as the boys’ families made funeral preparations and friends continued to mourn, it was still unclear what led to the fatal crash.
Friends say the boys had dropped off a friend nearby and were headed home.
Florida Highway Patrol officials said speed and alcohol were factors in the crash and were still investigating Wednesday. FHP officials said it may take weeks before toxicology results are completed.
The John Deere front-end loader was on a construction site for nighttime road work to realign Cove Road near the Federal Highway intersection.
Martin County Director of Engineering Don Donaldson said the intersection is among the busiest in the county — about 45,000 cars pass through the intersection daily and it has one of the highest crash rates of any intersection in the county.
Donaldson said the contractors, Sheltra and Sons Construction, Inc. had been following the federal and state standards for traffic maintenance on construction sites.
“All accidents involving deaths are tragic,” he said. “It’s a tragedy for the family and the guys who are out there working are shaken up, too. They never want to see anyone get hurt.”
South Fork High School Principal Patricia Schmoyer said parents can call the Martin County School District or the high school if they have any concerns about their children’s reactions to the deaths.
Angela Coady said her son Nick had just come home Friday, back from an early start at the University of North Florida.
On Wednesday afternoon she left the memorial and headed to a funeral home to arrange for her son’s burial.
“I don’t even have the words for this,” she said. “He was just such a great, great kid.”
Staff writer Cara Fitzpatrick and staff researcher Niels Heimeriks contributed to this story.
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Nicholas Coady
Christopher Briglio
Connor Graver
Christopher Briglio
Connor Graver
Nicholas Coady
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August 6th, 2009 at 8:18 am
My deepest sympathy goes out to each family in this hard tmie. I cried & cried reading this story. I feel for each of these familes. My thought and prayers are with you all.
August 6th, 2009 at 9:58 am
I am a Senior at Okeechobee High School and we just endured a loss of 3 former high school students on August 1,2009 due to a car accident.It is so sad to know that all 6 of these boys (Carson Williams,Devon Venables,Joshua Creasmon,Nicholas Coady,Conner Graver,and Christopher Briglio) had a whole life to live,but it was cut short.South Fork High School is in my prayers as the start of a new school year is just around the corner.It hurts me to know that we have lost such great boys so soon.May the friends and families of these 6 boys remain in our thoughts and prayers.
August 6th, 2009 at 10:01 am
It is with a heavy heart,that I write, to express my condolences,to the family of all three young men. It could have happened to anyone of us,who has a teenager. I encourage all those young people who have been involved in alcohol related accidents,and survived ,saved by The Lords Grace and the silent prayer of their parents,to mentor and speak at schools,about the tragedy and toll underage drinking,and drug related accidents is taking on their friends,and people they love,the devastation is only to real.Peace for our children ,a parent, whose child is on his way to the funeral of his 3 friends.
August 6th, 2009 at 11:23 am
It is amazing how times change and how easy we forget the old days. The title of this article reads, ‘answers sought’. Answers sought? You can make the argument that the parents of these teens actually assisted in there death! What in the hell are you doing allowing your teen that resides under your roof, out at 2 o’clock in the morning? The only way my kid is out at that time is if he’s delivering newspapers; not partying, drinking, and who knows whatever the hell else they’re doing. And then the tears…What ever happened to parenting?If you allow you child out at that time, you better expect tragedy.18,19 u live in my house,my rules period.
August 6th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
Oh, how nice it but be to be such the perfect parent Mr. “popcop”; get over yourself! You don’t think these parents aren’t going through enough without your totally misinformed statements. You don’t know these people and YOU don’t know what happened. You are making ASSUMPTIONS. You people on this site are pathetic and I hope and pray the familes of these kids don’t read this trash.
August 6th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
The driver (MURDERER) Coady had a criminal past and committed a crimal act. Truth & Facts may hurt, yet still be true.
August 6th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
well “jj”, that has to be the most ignorant statement I’ve read yet. What an idiot and what a selfish empty life you must live in.
August 6th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
I pray to GOD that you ignorant sons of bitches commenting on this pointing fingers at the driver and the families never feel the pain we all are experiencing right now. You may think you have your child locked away at night but those are probably the kids sneeking out behind your back. This is one of my closest friends, home from COLLEGE. A child only in the fact that he still had a long life ahead of him. All we ask is that you be respectful and allow us to mourn in peace, not cause us more hurt and anger reading these stabs from complete strangers. I am furious anyone would even think to call Nick a murderer. He was genuinely a good person, I can’t say that much for you. It’s a tragedy. Leave it at that.
August 6th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Gillian - you couldn’t have said it better. My son is devastated by these deaths as he was freinds with them all. Fortunately, he’s finishing up classes this week (at COLLEGE for you ignorant jerks who assume so much) and coming back to be with everyone this weekend. Hopefully, he won’t see this trash. You are so correct in everything you wrote! As for me, I’m done reading this garbage. I was just trying to get more information on funerals, fund raisers for the families, etc. This was definately NOT the place to come to.
August 6th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
Thank you Dana, Gillian. JJ: How terrible your life must be for you to have to come onto here and thrust disgusting comments such as yours at readers (who may also still be mourning)so early after and incident like this. You don’t even have all of the facts because police and toxicology reports have not been release confirming ANYTHING! If I were you I would crawl out of that big boy armor you call a computer and retain comments such as that to yourself. And, for some demented reason, you feel the need to let someone know how you feel go talk to your friends and family because I’m sure they would love to see how black your heart really is.
August 6th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
This is an awful tragedy whether the kids were in college or not. If they were 16 or 17 and they were out at that hour during the school year then yeah, you could say they were out too late. But the fact is we teach our kids to “grow up”, “be a man” and that’s what they thought they were doing, acting like grown ups. Truth is nobody is a grown up until they’ve had many, many years of experience. Unfortunately these kids won’t have that benefit. But their friends can learn some serious lessons from this if they pay attention and we help them see them.
God rest their souls.
August 6th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Something tells me that if people like “JJ” were going through a tragedy such as this, they would expect sympathy, and would be EXTREMELY hurt and enraged at the selfless comments people on the other side would be making. Not once would you say, “Oh well, stupid kid shouldn’t have been drinking.” You’d be just like Mrs. Coady, Mr. & Mrs. Graver, and Mr. Briglio, crying and holding onto any piece of your child you might have left. Regardless of how these people passed, Florida lost sons, brothers, best friends, and boyfriends on Tuesday. It’s completely unfair and disgusting for people to post links to Nick and Brandie’s Myspace profiles. How can you pick these people apart? You don’t think they’re on the verge of crumbling, if they haven’t done so already? Let us grieve. Let us mourn. Let us MISS these wonderful people for what and who they are and were. Get off your high horses, and understand that there are many heavy hearts in Martin County and its surrounding cities. You people are probably so structured because you couldn’t HANDLE it if something like this happened in your lives. It has in ours, and we’re trying to be strong for each other. We are on a way to a triple funeral tomorrow evening. For Christ’s sake, SHUT UP for one day. One day of peace, as we celebrate these lives and let them go be with God. Stop criticizing our every move and word. We are upset, angry, and heartbroken. This is truly a wake up call, and every single one of us will tell you that. We will tell you that we have all been stupid, and made it home when it was a possibility not to. We ADMIT IT. You should too, because I know there’s not one angel on this planet. They are called back too soon.
In loving memory ~ Nick Coady, Chris Briglio, Connor Graver
Forever in our hearts
August 9th, 2009 at 10:24 pm
Im a senior at Southfork and i knew connor personally he played on the football team with me and he was a great kid and im sure he will be lookin down on us this season. This season is dedicated to you Connor! How Bout Them DAWGS! R.I.P. Graver
August 10th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
Im a junior at southfork. Graver was a good freind of mine, we had been freinds since we were at murray middle, he was and still is one of the best kids ive ever known, i still look up to him to this day. Nick coady lived right down my street. Id hung around him long enough to know that he loved his freinds like family. And i didnt really know chris but alot of my freinds were good freinds with him and they loved him. it sucks but in the world we live in these days us kids are forced to grow up fast.Thats all they were doing was living in a world that pressures us to become adults. so if you want to start blaming this on the parents or on nick, why dont you blame it on the society, the WORLD that YOU’VE contributed to that WE are being raised in. this place has taken 3 great kids….. see you on the other side boys