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Central Point teen and his dog die in car crash By JULIE SWENSEN A Central Point teenager who died along with his dog in a car crash Wednesday had just graduated from high school and dreamed of owning a business. Joel Eric Tanzi, 18, was killed in the wreck, which happened about 11:30 a.m. on Highway 199, just inside the Oregon border with California. He, two others and the dog had been riding in a 1971 Volkswagen bug driven by his good friend, Andrew Oman, 18, when the car drifted off the right shoulder and hit a tree. No one in the car wore seat belts. Oregon State Police spokesman Lt. Gregg Hastings said police were still investigating the wreck Thursday. But Tanzi's mother, Laurhha, said Oman had fallen asleep at the wheel after an early-morning trip to the beach. "This is just a tragic, tragic accident," she said. She and Joel's father, Tom Tanzi, said they have no ill will against Oman. Tanzi, Oman and two other friends, Valentin Hernandez II, 21, and Brian Edward Mendolia, also 21, had headed out early for Crescent City, Calif., where they planned to go to the beach but found it foggy. On the way back, Oman asked if someone could drive for him because he was getting too sleepy, Laurhha Tanzi said. But the others were tired as well. Tanzi died with his dog _ a miniature longhair Dachshund named Slater _ in his arms, his father said. Oman, Hernandez and Mendolia were all taken to Three Rivers Dimmick hospital in Grants Pass, and were treated and released. Joel was a 1999 graduate of Crater High School and worked at Papa Murphy's on Stewart Avenue, where he was being trained for management. He had a Mail Tribune paper route in south Central Point for more than four years. His dad remembers how he used his route earnings to buy a canary-yellow Volkswagen. He was named Carrier of the Year in 1995, earning a 10-day trip to Spain. Slater would run behind his bike during his newspaper deliveries, and would usually sleep on his bed. The dog is now buried next to a waterfall and pond in the family's back yard that Joel helped build with his dad. Standing by the pond Thursday, Tom Tanzi said he would have loved to help his son build a house. "I really would have liked to have seen what he would have become," he said. Joel's family and friends described him as a person who loved skateboarding and snowboarding, who played drums and hoped to get in a band, who took swing dance lessons and liked jazz. They also noted his strong work ethic, and how he had worked so hard to graduate from high school and finally made it. Tanzi, whose favorite song was Sting's "How Fragile We Are," had gathered with friends at his house the day before he died. They were talking about their futures. His mother said he was looking into taking business classes at Rogue Community College. "He wasn't sure which direction he was going, but he wanted to own his own business," Laurhha Tanzi said. On Thursday, Joel's friend Anna Pipitone, 19, said she was comforted by the fact that as she asked for a sign that Joel was all right, she saw a shooting star. She also recalled something Joel always said: "My dog's going to live as long as I am." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA