Missoula News

Your local online source

Victims' Families in Need

Charitable Fund Set Up for Girls Killed, Hurt in Collision

Donations will help families pay funeral and medical bills for four teenage girls hit by allegedly drunken driver.


By Amy Linn, 12-29-09

The Missoula Federal Credit Union has set up a “Hellgate Girls Fund” to help the families of four Hellgate High School freshmen who were struck by an allegedly drunken driver Saturday night, leaving two girls dead and the other two hospitalized.

The tax-deductible donations will help the victims’ families pay for funeral and medical expenses.

Donations can be made at any Missoula Federal Credit Union location, including branches on Spruce, N. Reserve, South Russell, Brooks, Main, and 34th streets, and in the UC Center on the University of Montana campus.

Ashley Patenaude, 14, and Taylor Cearley, 15, were killed a few feet off the side of Highway 200 east of the Cobblestone apartments; Teal Packard, 14, is reportedly out of intensive care and recovering at St. Patrick Hospital. The fourth victim has been released from the hospital.

Turah resident David James DelSignore, 29, who allegedly was drunk when his Chevy pickup wandered off the roadway and hit all four teens, was charged yesterday with two counts of vehicular homicide while under the influence. DelSignore faces an additional two counts of negligent vehicular assault for the incident, which occurred while he was driving east from Missoula. He is being held on $120,000 bail at the Missoula County jail.



Like this story? Get more! Sign up for our free newsletters.

Back to the NewWest Missoula page

Comments

Add your comment below

By dave, 12-30-09

Comment Policy

NewWest.Net encourages robust and lively, but civil participation from our readers. By posting here, you agree to the NewWest.Net terms of service. You agree to keep your comments on topic, respectful and free of gratuitous profanity. Contributions that engage in personal attacks, racism, sexism, bigotry, hatred or are otherwise patently offensive will be subject to removal.

Other than using a filter that scans for comment spam, we do not moderate contributions before they are posted and we do not review every thread, so we ask that you help us in keeping the discussions civil and appropriate. Please email info@newwest.net to notify us of comments that may violate these guidelines. Thanks for your help and cooperation. Click here for some tips on how to best interact on NewWest.Net.

Your Comment

Name

Email

Remember my name and email address.

Notify me of follow-up comments.