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71 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, August 3, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend July 30, 2004 ‘Good is coming out of it’ Little Juliana’s great-grandma says outpouring of help follows fatal wreck By JACK MORAN Mail Tribune Somehow, Inez Lubbers can clearly see the bright side of a devastating accident that last weekend claimed the lives of four family members, including a granddaughter and great-grandchild. "Everybody, from friends to neighbors to strangers we never knew before have pulled together and outdone themselves to help the family," said Lubbers, 74, who lives in a home outside Phoenix with her husband, Verle. "This has been horrible," she said. "But something good is coming out of it all." Lubbers and her husband learned Monday of the two-car wreck on Highway 140 that killed their granddaughter, Becky Vanzant, 24, and her family as they returned Sunday evening from a weekend camping trip at Fish Lake. The crash left five people dead and two others seriously injured. Others killed in the accident included Becky Vanzant’s husband, Bobby, 27, their 1-month-old daughter, Zoe, and Robert Bartlett, 23, Becky’s brother. The family’s 1999 Ford Contour collided with a Ford pickup carrying two Klamath Falls residents including passenger Patricia Lambert, 49, who died from her injuries while en route to a Medford hospital. Advertisement Pickup driver Max Bennett, 48, was removed from an intensive-care unit at Rogue Valley Medical Center after his condition improved to fair, a nursing supervisor said Thursday. Also recovering from injuries suffered in the wreck is Juliana Bartlett, 2, who remained Thursday in an intensive-care unit at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland, listed in serious condition. Juliana, Zoe’s half-sister and great-grandchild of the Lubberses, was the only Contour passenger who survived the wreck. "One (great-granddaughter) passed away, and the other one made it," Lubbers said. "Juliana has been through so much." Lubbers said Juliana is "a little bitty tiny thing" who seemed to show some improvement on Thursday, when she uttered her first words since being hospitalized. Juliana’s grandparents, Rick and Roberta Bartlett, are with the girl but have not yet told her about the accident. "She asks for her mom and dad, and they tell her that ‘Mom and dad can’t be here right now,’ " Lubbers said. "In time, they’ll ease into it. Shock is something she absolutely does not need." While the Bartletts focus on taking care of Juliana, it seems much of the Rogue Valley has rallied behind the family, Lubbers said. Friends and neighbors are handling chores at the Central Point home the Bartletts shared with Bobby and Becky Vanzant’s family, and offering to do whatever else is needed. "The support has been unbelievable," Lubbers said. "It just thrills my heart. "It’s like walking into a banquet room when you’re starving to death, and the food’s already there, so you can just sit right down and start eating." Lubbers said the family is hopeful that Juliana will be released from the hospital within the next few days. Memorial services for family members who died in the wreck will be held after the Bartletts and Juliana return home from Portland. Reach reporter Jack Moran at 776-4459, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times