Tragedy Hits School And Family -- Fellow Students Watch In Horror As Car Hits Boy

WOODINVILLE - For the second time, the Pomerville family answered a heart-wrenching call about a son involved in a traffic accident close to the high school he attended every day. This call concerned a different son, and worse news.

Wayne Pomerville couldn't believe it when Northshore School District officials told him Friday that his son David was dead, killed by a car just outside Woodinville High School.

Three years ago, a car driven by David's older brother Rob, now 19, was broadsided by a truck that didn't yield at a four-way stop a block from the school. Rob sustained a concussion and other serious head injuries and was in the hospital for a week, his mother said.

David, 17, wasn't so lucky. Fellow students watched in horror as he was struck and knocked into the air by an oncoming car as he crossed 136th Avenue Northeast outside the school's main entrance. He was walking to his pickup.

After being hit by the car, Pomerville's body struck a van as it passed by on the opposite side of the road, then fell to the pavement. He died several minutes later of head injuries, despite paramedics' efforts to revive him.

The accident occurred as hundreds of students were heading home for the weekend.

Dozens rushed down the hill to Pomerville's aid. Counselors met them when they returned to school in shock. Scheduled weekend basketball games were canceled.

A funeral service is scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday at Washelli Funeral Home, 11027 Meridian Ave. N. in Seattle, with viewings planned between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. tomorrow and from noon to 2 p.m. Tuesday. A Wayne Pomerville Fund has been set up at U.S. Bank to help with family expenses.

Last night, Pomerville's girlfriend and a group of other students planned to work on a banner mourning him to hang in the school halls. Tomorrow, school counselors and private counselors from Farwest Family Practice of Bellevue will be on hand to talk with students about the tragedy, said Northshore School District spokeswoman Terri Malinowski.

Pomerville's parents said many of the students had grown up with their son, a lifelong Woodinville resident.

``These kids ate, slept and breathed together,'' said his mother, Sherry Pomerville. ``They need each other now.''

King County Police say both the Volkswagen and the van were driven by 17-year-old girls, but would not identify the drivers. Wayne Pomerville said police told him the Volkswagen driver was a Bothell High School student and that the van driver attended Woodinville High.

Initial accident reports do not indicate what caused the accident. It was raining heavily and growing dark when Pomerville tried to cross the street, and there was no crosswalk.

Police have not yet said whether they will charge either driver. Both girls stopped their cars and received counseling at the school, Malinowski said.

Sherry Pomerville doesn't want to know the drivers' names.

``I feel for them,'' she said. ``It's got to be very, very devastating. They're high school kids, and to know you killed someone . . . .''

However, she believes the school district and King County should work together to make sure such accidents don't continue. In particular, she said the county should restrict parking on the east side of 136th Avenue Northeast, where David parked frequently, to keep students from having to cross the busy street.

Friends from the school gathered at Pomerville's home yesterday, holding hands as they spoke of a young man who was always talking and laughing.

``David was born with a twinkle in his eye and spilling mischief,'' said his aunt, Teri Lukaris of Bothell.

The youth's bedroom walls were plastered with football action photos.

Sherry Pomerville said her son dreamed of playing football at the University of Southern California. He played center for the Woodinville Falcons last fall and was named Most Valuable Player on the team's defensive squad the year before.