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53 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, February 15, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classifieds Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend February 14, 2005 Fatal crash stuns families, communities Police are working to determine what led to an accident that killed an Ashland teen and a Shady Cove man Friday night By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune Sorrow spread across Jackson County Sunday in the aftermath of a Friday night car crash that claimed two lives in Medford and left families from Shady Cove to Ashland wondering what really happened. Charles Bench of Shady Cove died in the crash, leaving his wife, Melissa, and three young children. His good friend, Mark Robustelli of Medford, faces a long and painful recovery from injuries that nearly killed him. Bench and Robustelli were out in Bench’s Chevy Blazer playing with a new global positioning system unit. A Jeep Cherokee driven by Kevan James Thatcher-Stephens of Ashland went through a red light at Riverside Avenue and Jackson Street and smashed into Bench’s Blazer with enough momentum to hurl it 150 feet across the busy intersection. Bench died in the crash. Thatcher-Stevens died soon after at Providence Medford Medical Center. Robustelli is in intensive care with multiple injuries at Providence Medford. A passenger in the Cherokee, Ian Graham-Collier of Ashland, is in fair condition at Providence Medford with a collapsed lung and other injuries. Advertisement "I grieve for all the families that have lost," said Christy Robustelli of Medford. "I really feel for the other parents. I have my son. I feel terrible that they lost theirs." State and local investigators are still trying to determine why the Ashland boys were driving at a speed that was estimated at 90 to 100 mph. Witnesses said a police car from Talent and a Jackson County sheriff’s car were close behind them with sirens wailing and lights flashing. "I don’t understand the chase," Christy Robustelli said. "I don’t understand why (police) were pursuing them. "I feel (the chase) was unnecessary. The police were wrong. Whatever they did, they could have done a better job." Police said Saturday they had not determined the officers’ speed as they followed the Ashland boys. Medford police Lt. Tim George said police were not ready to release details about whether officers ran red lights along Riverside Avenue before the crash. Firefighters had to cut Mark Robustelli out of the demolished Blazer. "He almost lost his life bleeding out," said Robert Robustelli, Mark’s father. "Paramedics saved him right there with four units of blood." The impact shattered Mark Robustelli’s left leg between the knee and ankle. Physicians gave him five more units of blood as they worked to save his life. "I don’t know how many people we have to thank," his father said. Mark Robustelli and Bench had known each other for some time, but their friendship had deepened in recent months. "They just liked being around each other," said Jason Robustelli, Mark’s brother. Their young children gave them plenty to talk about. Robustelli has a three-year-old son, Connor. Bench also had a three year old son, Tony, as well as a six-year-old daughter, Cheyenne, and a two-year-old son, Cameron. The two families often spent time together, said Mark Robustelli’s wife, Tabitha. "Charles’s whole life was his kids," she said. "He loved his kids with his whole heart." The two men also enjoyed auto racing and watching NASCAR races on TV. Bench had driven cars at the Medford Speedway. In Ashland, teachers and counselors at the high school spent the weekend preparing for the first day of school since the crash. Superintendent Juli Di Chiro said the Ashland School District’s crisis response team of counselors and clergy had been activated and would be at school to talk with teens. "I think they’ll need to talk," she said. "It’s a bad thing to hold it in." Emotions such as guilt and remorse often surface after an unexpected death, and teens feel those emotions just as strongly as adults, Di Chiro said. "I’m sure some kids will be feeling guilty," she said. "Maybe the last time they saw (Thatcher-Stevens) it wasn’t a good interaction. They’ll think ‘If only I’d said...’ or ‘If only I’d done...’ " Monday will be another busy day for the Robustelli clan on the long road toward restoring Mark’s health. No one knows when he’ll be able to return to work as a landscape gardener. His wife, Tabitha, is a third-year nursing student at Southern Oregon University. "Things can change in the blink of an eye," his mother said. "Now we have to go on and try to make the best of what we can." Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers Advertisement s