Roommate Charged in Death Of Mendham Teenager
N.Y. man accused of being under the influence in ATV crash that killed Parker Regan.
A New York man has been charged with vehicular homicide while under the influence in a Montana ATV crash that killed his roomate, according to KXLH.
James Welch, 19, of Bronxville, N.Y., was charged in the crash that killed Mendham's Parker Regan.
According to the office of Gallatin County Sheriff Brian Gootkin, the crash was reported on Andesite Road in the Yellowstone Club at Big Sky Thursday night at about 11:50 p.m.
An affadavit and citation issued by Trooper Joshua Brown and reported by the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, said Welch was driving a 2012 Polaris Ranger Crew ATV, and "admitted he was negotiating a left curve and his passenger fell out of the vehicle."
According to the affadavit, Welch had blood drawn for a toxicology report and was transported to the Gallatin County Detention Center to be held on the charges.
Bloomberg Businessweek reported that R. Christopher Regan, Parker's father, said his son and James Welch were roommates at Suffield Academy, a boarding school in Suffield, Conn. He said his son was vacationing with the Welch family in Montana.
According to its website, the Yellowstone Club is a private residential community, ski and golf resort in the northwest of Yellowstone National Park.
This is a developing story, and Patch will have more updates as they are available.
Donna
1:41 pm on Saturday, August 4, 2012
I feel such a sense of remorse and pain for the families of both these young men. That ever present sense of invincibility in our young people causes them to do things they know are wrong but " it can't happen to me" mentality causes lifelong consequences.
Amy
9:03 am on Sunday, August 5, 2012
So true Donna...... I know Parker, and he was such a sweet boy....so handsome and very polite and had a certain twinkle in his eye.. He comes from a lovely family and his Mom is a doll. I can not imagine how a Mom must feel to lose her youngest son. You are right about the so many teens thinking they are invincible. That mentality is scary and sometimes having a fear of consequences needs to be thought about... It just seems like it never is thought of nearly enough though... I can not get Parker and his family out of my thoughts. My heart is broken for them.
Amy
Clare Johnson
1:29 am on Saturday, September 1, 2012
Parker sounds like such a wonderful boy from such a wonderful family. That makes sense, doesn't it? I love their perspective on this tragic and untimely event. It is loving, wise and inspiring. I'm sorry for the loss of such a vibrant young man who knew how to live his life. While here for only 19 years, he did more than most of us do in an entire lifetime. I'm so sad that the parents lost their son, Parker's siblings their brother, his peers a friend, and the world a person of substance with so much to offer. I'm also for his roommate who must be devastated beyond words. Rest in Peace, Parker.