"There were long, comforting hugs. Muffled sobs and shared boxes of tissues. And prayers that ached for four teenage girls who died in a car crash Monday night and a fifth, sole survivor hospitalized with burns.
Hundreds packed the pews Tuesday night at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Gretna for a memorial service that aimed to provide some small measure of solace to a grieving community.
“No words can totally comfort us, no words can totally explain such a tragedy,” said the Rev. Matthew Gutowski, the church’s pastor.
Gretna students, parents and others from this community of 5,000 woke up to horrifying and heartbreaking news Tuesday morning: Five teenagers from Gretna High School had been involved in a fiery and deadly car crash in Sarpy County late Monday night.
Four girls died at the scene. A fifth is being treated at a burn unit in a Lincoln hospital. All are believed to be 15 or 16 years old."
'There's a real heaviness ... over the city of Gretna': Community mourns deaths of 4 teens in crash
Speed is believed to have played a role in the crash:
Gretna crash victims identified: 'Our collective heart in our community is shattered'
Hundreds packed the pews Tuesday night at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Gretna for a memorial service that aimed to provide some small measure of solace to a grieving community.
“No words can totally comfort us, no words can totally explain such a tragedy,” said the Rev. Matthew Gutowski, the church’s pastor.
Gretna students, parents and others from this community of 5,000 woke up to horrifying and heartbreaking news Tuesday morning: Five teenagers from Gretna High School had been involved in a fiery and deadly car crash in Sarpy County late Monday night.
Four girls died at the scene. A fifth is being treated at a burn unit in a Lincoln hospital. All are believed to be 15 or 16 years old."
'There's a real heaviness ... over the city of Gretna': Community mourns deaths of 4 teens in crash
Speed is believed to have played a role in the crash:
Gretna crash victims identified: 'Our collective heart in our community is shattered'
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