No one is prepared to lose a loved one or friend at such a young age, especially when the young person is about to graduate and move on to the next stage of his or her life. It is generally a time for celebration. Tragically, a 17-year-old Windsor High School junior died earlier this month in a two-car crash on Colorado Route 257, near U.S. Route 34. Now, instead of celebrating his next rite of passage as an adult, a community will be burying a dear family member and friend.

According to a trooper with the Colorado State Patrol, the car accident occurred shortly after 7:30 a.m. on January 18, just west of Greeley, Colorado. The trooper says a southbound 2000 silver Ford F-250 crossed into the northbound lane unexpectedly and collided head-on with a 2009 white Toyota Camry.

The 17-year-old Dacono, Colorado, boy was driving the Camry. Troopers say he tried to avoid the car crash, but could not get out of the way of the Ford F-250. The boy died at the scene of the accident.

His 10-year-old sister was riding in the Camry at the time of the accident, troopers say. She sustained moderate injuries. Emergency medical workers took her to the North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley.

The 27-year-old man driving the Ford F-250 had minor injuries following the accident. Emergency medical technicians treated him at the scene of the crash and released him.

The cause of the wreck is still under investigation, according to the Colorado State Patrol. It was the first fatal crash in Weld County in 2012.

The superintendent of the Windsor-Severance Re-4 School District says the boy began attending Windsor High School in 2010 during his sophomore year. She said he was a member of the cross country team, competed on the school's Knowledge Bowl team and was an excellent student.

A member of the school's cross country team says the boy was a superior athlete and a positive role model.

Source: The Greeley Tribune, "Windsor student dies in head-on collision west of Greeley," T.M. Fasano, Jan. 18, 2012.