I can remember that morning like it was yesterday.
I had heard the phone ring and I knew it was early because dad hadn’t gotten up yet. I could hear my mom on the phone “where are you”, “is she ok?”. When she hung up the phone I heard her say something to dad, “they’re in Perlican hospital… it’s not good”. Dad says “I might as well get up now”.
Despite my parent’s best efforts to whisper and with a word missing here or there, I knew something was wrong.
“Mom” I said. She tried to pretend she was asleep. Dad went downstairs.
“Mom.” I got out of bed. “What’s going on?”
“Go back to bed”
“No, tell me what’s wrong”
“Come here”
So many things running through my head right now. Who? What? When? Are they ok?
“Mom, what?”
Then she hugged me. “Something bad happened to someone close to you”
“Who”
“Sara”
“What happened?
“She got into a car accident”
“Is she ok”
Mom hugged me tighter… “she passed away”
It was July 22, 2007. Sara Veronica Clarke. Aged 18. The pain felt that day by everyone who had ever been touched by Sara was pain that should never be felt by even the harshest criminal.
It had only been about 3 hours before she died that I had seen her. She had parked her car and we went in my car to drop Ashley off at her house. Then I brought Sara back to where her car had been parked. We had been laughing & carrying on as usual.
“Give me a call tomorrow Mander”. Little did I know these would be the last words I would hear from her and the last time I would see her alive again.
In only 3 hours she went from laughing to stone cold dead. No one knows everything that happened that night. Probably not even Sara herself. In short, she had flipped her car and flew out of one of the windows. She was found on the road by her boyfriend. I can’t even stand to imagine what he had seen. To name a few of her injuries, her neck and jaw bone was broken, she had some sort of damage to her head that resulted in a part of her scalp being torn off, and one of the arteries had detached from her heart. Stephen had held her in her damaged state for the final moments of her short life.
Alcohol had not been a factor, but she wasn’t wearing her seatbelt. Sara always wore her seatbelt. When ever we got into her car, she would say “Put ya seatbelts on b’ys”. It boggles my mind why on this particular night she decided not to wear it.
Sara was so full of life. She didn’t always have it easy, but she always made the best out of every situation. No matter what happened, she had the power just to laugh it off. She would say “Ha” and go on as if everything was normal.
One day when Sara, Ashley & I were parked up by Pete’s, we took notice to the clouds. Ashley said “it’d be some nice to be up on them wouldn’t it”. Sara commented “yes, up hoppin’ around”. Well Sara, we thought that we would all be there one day, but not this soon. I hope you are having as much fun as you imagined that day. It is so surreal. We will never see you alive again. God knew you were one of the best, so he took you up to be with the rest of his angels. We miss you and I know you miss us, but you’re in a better place now. I love you Sara. Best Friends Forever. I’ll see you soon.
In memory of
Sara Veronica Clarke
November 2, 1988 – July 22, 2007.
I had heard the phone ring and I knew it was early because dad hadn’t gotten up yet. I could hear my mom on the phone “where are you”, “is she ok?”. When she hung up the phone I heard her say something to dad, “they’re in Perlican hospital… it’s not good”. Dad says “I might as well get up now”.
Despite my parent’s best efforts to whisper and with a word missing here or there, I knew something was wrong.
“Mom” I said. She tried to pretend she was asleep. Dad went downstairs.
“Mom.” I got out of bed. “What’s going on?”
“Go back to bed”
“No, tell me what’s wrong”
“Come here”
So many things running through my head right now. Who? What? When? Are they ok?
“Mom, what?”
Then she hugged me. “Something bad happened to someone close to you”
“Who”
“Sara”
“What happened?
“She got into a car accident”
“Is she ok”
Mom hugged me tighter… “she passed away”
It was July 22, 2007. Sara Veronica Clarke. Aged 18. The pain felt that day by everyone who had ever been touched by Sara was pain that should never be felt by even the harshest criminal.
It had only been about 3 hours before she died that I had seen her. She had parked her car and we went in my car to drop Ashley off at her house. Then I brought Sara back to where her car had been parked. We had been laughing & carrying on as usual.
“Give me a call tomorrow Mander”. Little did I know these would be the last words I would hear from her and the last time I would see her alive again.
In only 3 hours she went from laughing to stone cold dead. No one knows everything that happened that night. Probably not even Sara herself. In short, she had flipped her car and flew out of one of the windows. She was found on the road by her boyfriend. I can’t even stand to imagine what he had seen. To name a few of her injuries, her neck and jaw bone was broken, she had some sort of damage to her head that resulted in a part of her scalp being torn off, and one of the arteries had detached from her heart. Stephen had held her in her damaged state for the final moments of her short life.
Alcohol had not been a factor, but she wasn’t wearing her seatbelt. Sara always wore her seatbelt. When ever we got into her car, she would say “Put ya seatbelts on b’ys”. It boggles my mind why on this particular night she decided not to wear it.
Sara was so full of life. She didn’t always have it easy, but she always made the best out of every situation. No matter what happened, she had the power just to laugh it off. She would say “Ha” and go on as if everything was normal.
One day when Sara, Ashley & I were parked up by Pete’s, we took notice to the clouds. Ashley said “it’d be some nice to be up on them wouldn’t it”. Sara commented “yes, up hoppin’ around”. Well Sara, we thought that we would all be there one day, but not this soon. I hope you are having as much fun as you imagined that day. It is so surreal. We will never see you alive again. God knew you were one of the best, so he took you up to be with the rest of his angels. We miss you and I know you miss us, but you’re in a better place now. I love you Sara. Best Friends Forever. I’ll see you soon.
In memory of
Sara Veronica Clarke
November 2, 1988 – July 22, 2007.
Her Journey's Just Begun
Don't think of her as gone away - her journey's just begun,
life holds so many facets - this earth is only one.
Just think of her as resting from the sorrows and the tears
in a place of warm and comfort where there are no days and years.
Think how she must be wishing that we could know today
how nothing but our sadness can really pass away.
And think of her as living in the hearts of those she touched...
for nothing loved is ever lost - and she was loved so much.
- E. Brenneman
Don't think of her as gone away - her journey's just begun,
life holds so many facets - this earth is only one.
Just think of her as resting from the sorrows and the tears
in a place of warm and comfort where there are no days and years.
Think how she must be wishing that we could know today
how nothing but our sadness can really pass away.
And think of her as living in the hearts of those she touched...
for nothing loved is ever lost - and she was loved so much.
- E. Brenneman
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