Emmaus High School Students Mourn Loss of Classmate in Car Accident

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A day after a 16-year-old junior was murdered in an accident outside the school, Emmaus High School students were grieving the loss of one of their own on Wednesday.

Edwin Cortes has been identified as the teenager who died on Tuesday in a two-vehicle collision on Emmaus’ Cedar Crest Boulevard. At the school sign where the terrible crash happened, a monument was erected on Wednesday.

Students visited the memorial after school to give Cortes additional gifts. It was decorated with balloons, flowers, a “Love” sign, and candles with religious symbols.

Another student left a hand-colored mandala with a note on the back, and another group delivered white lilies, white carnations, pink roses, and white roses. Respect-seeking student stated Cortes was thoughtful, wise, and hardworking.

“He was the smartest kid, he would always help me in math class,” said the student who asked to remain unnamed. “A good friend to the end.”

Tuesday afternoon, just as classes were about to end for the day, there was a crash close to the high school around 2:30 p.m. At the North Street intersection close to the athletic fields, Cortes was a passenger in the backseat of a car that collided with another vehicle.

At the scene, Cortes was declared deceased. Lehigh County Coroner Daniel Buglio stated that blunt force injuries to the torso were the cause and that the mode of injury was unintentional.

Three additional persons, who were identified by the police as current and past high school pupils, were in the car with Cortes. The press release mentioned “several injuries,” although it did not specify how many. The driver was the sole one inside the other car.

Below, we provided our latest posts related to other persons’ accidents:

For investigative purposes, Cedar Crest Boulevard was closed between Pine Street and Chestnut Street on Wednesday morning. The district said via email that counselors will be accessible at the high school on Wednesday.

The message said, “The death of a student is always a sad and troubling event that can often have a profound effect on friends, classmates and staff. We are here to support all of our East Penn families during this time of grief.”

To help pay for Cortes’ funeral, his family launched a GoFundMe page. By Wednesday night, the campaign had brought in about $29,000. Donations can be made at gofundme.com/f/edwin-cortes by anyone who would like to.

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