WORCESTER, MASS. (WHDH) - As the College of the Holy Cross community deals with the heartbreak associated with losing a member of the women’s rowing team who was killed Wednesday in a crash in Vero Beach, Florida, they’re also supporting her hurt teammates in their recovery.
Grace Rett, a 20-year-old sophomore from Uxbridge, was killed after a van she was riding in with her crewmates collided head-on with a red Dodge Ram pickup truck near the Barber Bridge around 7:30 a.m., according to an Indian River Fire County Rescue spokesperson.
The college’s head rowing coach and 10 of Rett’s teammates had to be pulled from the wreckage. They were all taken to area hospitals with various ailments, including seven victims who suffered “trauma-level” injuries. The pickup driver was also hospitalized.
Rett, who was in cardiac arrest following the crash, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Five crew members, their coach, and the pickup driver remained in the hospital as of Friday morning, officials said. Their injuries range from broken bones to brain damage.
The Holy Cross men’s basketball team held a moment of silence in honor of Rett and her teammates before their game Thursday.
“A moment of silence brings all of our minds and hearts into the right place, which is remembering our beloved Grace and also remembering that we have community members who are still injured,” Dean of Students Michele Murray said.
Flowers and candles were left on a rowing machine, showing that people are thinking of Rett and the team.
Rudy Antoncic is a member of the Holy Cross men’s rowing team and Rett was his resident assistant in a dorm. He started a GoFundMe page to help pay for the medical needs of the surviving team members.
“Wheelchairs, wheelchair ramps, a lot of that can be really expensive,” he said. “We just want to be there every step of the way.”
Rett leaves behind her parents and a young sister.
The crash remains under investigation.
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