Friends gather to mourn for Stanwood teen who died in accident

Published 6:19 pm Monday, December 28, 2009

STANWOOD — Cathy Vanderberg was on her front porch Sunday afternoon, feeding her cat, when she heard a car speeding south on 15th Avenue NE.

She looked up and watched a fatal accident unfold, she said.

The car left the road, spun in the air, smashed its roof on the ground and finally came to rest on its wheels.

Mason Derrick, 19, of Stanwood, was killed. His four teenage passengers were injured.

“My heart breaks for the families,” Vanderberg said. “The kids — they just get crazy sometimes.”

Detectives believe the Acura sedan was speeding 85 mph in a 35 mph zone, Snohomish County sheriff’s spokeswoman Rebecca Hover said.

Two of the passengers were thrown from the vehicle. Firefighters had to remove the roof and doors to free a third survivor.

Derrick was pronounced dead at the scene of the 2 p.m. crash.

A 17-year-old boy from Camano Island was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. He was in critical condition on Monday, Hover said.

Another 19-year-old Arlington man was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center. He was in serious condition, Hover said.

Two 15-year-old girls were treated at a local hospital for serious injuries that were not believed to be life threatening, Hover said.

About 70 of Derrick’s friends began gathering at sunset on Monday at an old barn near Stanwood High School. The site has been used by students before for memorials. The group began painting in honor of Derrick a gold star on a black background.

Derrick joined the Army after graduating from Stanwood High in June. Life in the service fit him well, friends said.

James Adams, 18, of Stanwood, met Derrick when they were in fifth grade at Cedarhome Elementary School in Stanwood. They were talking on the bus and became so caught up in conversation that Derrick missed his stop. They got off at Adams’ house instead, and were friends ever since.

Derrick was quick to lend a helping hand, Adams said. He helped the Adams family tear off their old roof and put on the new one.

“It took all summer, and he did it all free,” Adams said. “He wasn’t selfish at all.”

Derrick listened to hard rock and liked working out. Pictures on his MySpace page show him with his shirt off, flexing lean, powerful muscles.

He also had a playful side. He would imitate Arnold Schwarzenegger at the gym or adopt a British accent at parties.

“He did have a goofy sense of humor,” said Camden Earl, 19, who lives in Texas. “He brought a smile to anyone’s face.”

Trever Olsen, 16, of Entiat, said Derrick would stick up for smaller guys when they were being picked on.

He wasn’t surprised that Derrick would volunteer for military service.

“He enlisted just to serve his country,” Olsen said via e-mail. “I think it’s strange that he died in a car crash and not in war.”

His accident struck others as a sad reminder that a life can end in an instant.

“I don’t think his death is going to go to waste,” Adams said. “I think a lot of people are going to take things seriously — that you’re not invincible.”

Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455, arathbun@heraldnet.com