ANTRIM — Friends and family are remembering the vibrant life of Antrim teen Rebekah Warren, 16, who died early Saturday in a one-car accident on Old Hancock Road.

Warren was killed instantly when a truck driven by James Remillard, 19, of Bennington left the roadway and struck a tree just before 2 a.m. A second passenger, Delaney Barrett, 17, of Antrim, suffered serious injuries and was transported by helicopter to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, where she remained Monday evening in stable condition, according to a Dartmouth-Hitchcock staff person.

Remillard was taken to Monadnock Community Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Alcohol does not seem to have been a factor in the crash, according to a police press release.

Officer Sean Cavanaugh of the Antrim Police Department is investigating the accident with the assistance of the N.H. State Police Traffic Accident Reconstruction Team and Sgt. Brian Reopel of the Hillsborough Police Department. Police have declined to say whether speed was a factor or whether or not the teens were wearing seatbelts.

As police work to unravel the details of Saturday’s accident, friends and family are grappling with the loss.

Across communities from Antrim’s Great Brook School to ConVal High School, where she was a freshman, Rebekah — known to friends as Bekah — was remembered Monday as a bright and compassionate girl, distinct in her warmth to friends and strangers alike.

ConVal High School sophomore Mike Wakefield, 15, was a fellow member of the ConVal Dance Team, one of Bekah’s most prized extracurricular activities. He is also a fellow member of Antrim’s Church of Christ congregation and is among the organizers of a memorial display to his lost friend at the church. He had only been on the dance team for three months at the time of Bekah’s death, but it was long enough for him to learn she was a singular personality.

“She was able to be nice to everybody,” said Wakefield with a touch of disbelief. “It didn’t matter how bad a mood you were in, if you were even in her proximity you felt better.”

“I just feel sorry for people who didn’t know her,” added Cheyenne Perry, 16, who said Bekah loved to dance. “She was really good at it, too.”

“She was good at everything,” said Wakefield, again with a hint of awe. “She could wear absolutely anything and pull it off, no matter how much it clashed. And something on her always had to sparkle. She had sparkles everywhere.”

Junior Zack Cote agreed.

“She could be in a dark alley and you’d still be able to see her,” he said.

Cote, Wakefield and Perry said it was only fitting that Bekah be buried in a lime green casket, for which they said her family searched high and low.

Family and friends

One of the people most familiar with Bekah’s radiance is her brother, Nicholas Warren, 14. He and a group of friends went up and down Main Street in Antrim on Monday after school with a memorial cross, collecting signatures with the intent of later placing it at the site of Bekah’s death.

Nicholas said he felt deeply numb, but that his faith was helping him through his sorrow. He described his sister as “a best friend.”

“She was an awesome person,” he said. “She was a lot like my dad. She’d meet somebody and instantly become their friend.”

A memorial to Bekah at Antrim’s Church of Christ joins one already in place for her father, Larry Warren, who died April 26 at age 49 after battling cancer. Ariel Frosch, 12, said she had last seen Bekah at Larry Warren’s funeral. Frosch lives directly across the street from the site of the accident that killed Bekah. Ariel, her sister Corinne and her brother Stephan gathered outside their home Saturday morning. As the Frosches stood in their front yard looking at the tree that claimed Bekah’s life, a cool rain fell on the roadway.

“God is crying for Bekah,” said Ariel. “Now she’ll be with her dad so at least she’s not up there all alone. I mean, you don’t always have to think of the bad things.”

Ariel’s mother, Stephanie Frosch, came outside yesterday to greet a group of schoolgirls who had gathered near the tree.

“There have been hundreds of people coming out here,” said Frosch to the group. “She must have touched a lot of people.”

“She wasn’t like most girls who talk behind people’s backs,” said eighth-grader Jessica Nerz, 14. “She never, ever, did that.”

She didn’t try to be something she wasn’t,” said eighth-grader Steph Leandri, 14. “She was herself and she was happy with that.”

The crash

That all came to a sudden end Saturday morning at approximately 1:46 a.m. After a night at the drive-in, Rebekah Warren was in the front passenger seat of Remillard’s truck, with Barrett sitting between the two. Remillard was driving home northbound on Old Hancock Road when he lost control.

Marshall Gale, Antrim’s assistant fire chief, was the first to arrive at the scene. He said yesterday that he ordered a helicopter and additional set of Jaws of Life as soon as he saw the severity of the wreck.

“The whole passenger compartment got pushed to the back of the truck,” said Gale, who said the tree had pushed roughly three feet into the truck’s cabin.

Gale was not able to detect a pulse on Bekah. Delaney Barrett was conscious and in pain, said Gale, who said her injuries included at least one collapsed lung and a lacerated kidney. When Gale arrived, Remillard had already left the vehicle and was nearby looking on. Gale had been informed that there were three occupants of the vehicle and was briefly concerned about the whereabouts of the third occupant.

“Then James walked up to me and said, ‘I was the driver,’” said Gale. “He was pretty shook up. It kind of took me a minute, too.”

Gale said Remillard was lucky to have escaped with minimal injuries. “I think if that truck had hit head-on we’d be dealing with three fatalities,” he said.

Gale said he has been with the Fire Department for 34 years and has responded to a number of traffic deaths.

“I’ve seen more than I want to see,” said Gale. “It’s always hard, but when it’s a younger person it hits home a little more. When they went out that evening, I’m sure that’s the last thing they wanted. Unfortunately, that’s how life is.”

Stephan, Corinne and Ariel Frosch said they heard the crash Saturday morning.

“It was a big, huge boom like thunder,” said Ariel of the collision. “We woke up to a bunch of sirens, but we couldn’t really see anything.”

“I just saw Bekah on Thursday,” said Corinne, 14. “She was walking and I went up to her and gave her a hug. When she had to go I said, ‘I love you’ and she said, ‘Love you too.’”

The scene at ConVal

The ConVal High School community said goodbye to Bekah yesterday. Her absence was marked by an empty seat, sobs in the hallways and an unusually quiet atmosphere throughout the school, according to some students. In the morning, Principal Susan Dell informed the student body of the loss of two members of the ConVal community — Rebekah and a 2009 CVHS graduate named Sam Dawson.

Dawson was discovered dead at a Francestown home on Saturday afternoon, according to Francestown Police Chief Stephen Bell. Bell said the untimely death is under investigation, but foul play is not suspected.

“Many members of our high school community knew these young people and grieve for their loss and for their families and friends,” said Dell over the intercom as she fought back tears.

Dell said the school’s crisis team immediately swung into action Saturday beginning with the notification of all teachers. Using the AlertNow system, a mass notification was sent to staff, first for Bekah and again after staff learned of Dawson’s death. A staff meeting was held at 7:15 a.m. yesterday, said Dell. The school’s entire guidance department was on hand yesterday and sent specialists to Bekah’s classrooms to discuss grief with her fellow students.

“Sometimes students don’t know quite how to deal with a situation like this,” said Dell. “We’re trying to be caring, provide support and help students to understand the nature of grief.”

Dell said educational components might follow.

“We always try to make students aware of the dangers of the road,” said Dell. “But those educational concerns are secondary right now. Our first steps are to respond to the loss, regardless of what caused the loss.”

A banner in memory of Bekah and Dawson has been hung in the cafeteria at the high school, said Dell, and students are encouraged to sign it.

In memory

At the Church of Christ in Antrim, a memorial display has been set up in memory of both Larry and Bekah Warren. Both the Church of Christ and the Avenue A Teen Center will offer special hours in coming days for those wishing to gather in celebration of Bekah’s life. Cards can be sent to the Warrens at P.O. Box 18 in Antrim. Donations for the Warren family may be sent to the church at P.O. Box 51 in Antrim.

Visiting hours will be today from 6 to 8 p.m. at Jellison Funeral Home. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 15 at the Church of Christ at the corner of Grove Street and Main Street. Bekah’s and her father’s ashes will then be buried with a short graveside service at Maplewood Cemetery.