EVERETT – The three girls, all juniors at Lakewood High School, were best of friends with bright futures and a lifetime of dreams ahead of them.
One bad decision, one careless act, ripped them apart. It changed everything.
Karlie Kaska, 17, an excellent student and athlete, died just months before she was able to begin her eagerly-awaited senior year.
Meggi Ward, now 18, suffered head injuries that put her in a coma and have left her closed off from the world. The girl, once a talented actress and A-student, lives away from her family in a nursing home.
Their friend, the driver that day, is now a convicted felon.
The teen pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide on Thursday in Snohomish County Juvenile Court. She was driving more than 20 mph over the posted 35 mph speed limit when the car veered off the road, plowed through a fence and crashed into a tree on May 13, 2006, according to court papers.
The driver was 17 at the time of the crash and her case was handled in juvenile court. Although she’s since turned 18, The Herald does not generally name juvenile defendants.
Kaska and Ward were passengers in the car. Kaska died at the scene of the crash. Ward was taken by helicopter to a Seattle hospital and hasn’t spoken or walked since.
The driver was sentenced to two days in juvenile detention and a year of community supervision. She also must serve 96 hours of community service, including speaking to her classmates at Lakewood High School about the crash and volunteering at a head trauma facility.
Judge Ellen Fair said the teen is not the kind of defendant who would benefit from more time behind bars. Instead Fair recognized that the defendant, an inexperienced driver, used bad judgement when she sped down the road last May.
“You will need to make amends for this terrible accident,” Fair said. “You have this responsibility to affect others so no one else has to receive the terrible news these parents received.”
Kaska’s parents, Chuck Kaska and Joanne Knott, spoke about the emptiness left by their daughter’s death.
Karah Kaska said her sister was her best friend and she will never have another friend like her.
They miss her giggle and grieve that they won’t see her dressed up for prom, watch her play another season of volleyball, see her away to college or watch her raise a family of her own.
“I believe Karlie was destined to change the world in many ways,” Chuck Kaska said. “A part of my soul died that day.”
Chuck Kaska and Joanne Knott said they didn’t want to see the driver punished, but wanted her to take responsibility for the crash and be held accountable.
“Good kids make mistakes too. You have to take responsibility for your actions,” Knott said.
The parents extended their forgiveness to the driver, saying they know she is a good person – their daughter wouldn’t have had any other kind of friend.
The defendant turned to the family in the courtroom and apologized.
“I should not have been speeding. I’m very sorry for the pain I caused,” she said. “I’m sorry.”
Chuck Kaska and Joanne Knott said they only hope their daughter’s death will remind others that it only takes one bad decision to cause so much pain.
“I just want other kids to learn maybe not to make the same mistake,” Knott said. “Most important I just don’t want anyone to forget Karlie.”
Reporter Jim Haley contributed to this report.
Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.
Donations to benefit scholarships given out in memory of Karlie Kaska can be made to the Lakewood Education Foundation, P.O. Box 55 N, Lakewood, WA 98259.
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