Friends, family of Benton County crash victims: ‘We’re all heartbroken’

VINTON - The deaths of five young people in a Benton County crash Thursday evening has rocked the small community of Vinton and two school districts.

'The community is just devastated,” said Kelby Robb, a family friend of those killed. 'You just can't believe it.”

According to the Iowa State Patrol, 19-year-old Quentin Ary of Vinton was traveling west on 55th Street around 4:10 p.m. Thursday when his pickup entered Highway 150 and was hit by a semi-trailer truck driven by Jack R. Youde, 56, of Sutherland. Both vehicles came to rest in the north ditch.

Ary and his four passengers - 20-year-old Nicole Jacobsen of Vinton, 17-year-old Triston Randall of Urbana, and 14-year-old Hunter Tuttle and 12-year-old Zoey Tuttle, both of Vinton - were killed in the crash. Ary was the only one in the pickup wearing a seat belt, according to the state patrol.

On Friday, Trooper Bob Conrad said the agency still is investigating the crash, including whether anyone was riding in the bed of the pickup truck at the time. No charges have been filed.

Robb said her father and brother worked on race cars and snowmobiles with Eric Tuttle, the father of Zoey and Hunter and stepfather of Triston. Robb said of all the kids she was closest with Zoey and Hunter.

'They were the greatest kids,” she said. 'They were so sweet.”

Zoey was a 'natural” when it came to riding horses and loved animals, Robb said. Hunter loved snowmobiling and shared his father's interest in being a mechanic. The family was involved in the Vinton racing community, she said.

'They lived for racing and snowmobiling,” she said.

Looking for a way to help, Robb launched a GoFundMe page for the family. She set an initial goal of $1,000, which was met in just over three hours.

'They would give you the shirt off their back,” Robb said. 'Now It's the community's turn. ... I hope it can be just a small bit of comfort for the family. Everyone is here for them. We're all heartbroken.”

The heartbreak has extended to the Vinton-Shellsburg and Center Point-Urbana school districts. Triston, Hunter and Zoey were students in the Center Point-Urbana district, Ary was a senior at Vinton-Shellsburg and Jacobson was a 2013 Vinton-Shellsburg graduate.

'It's a very tough day for students and staff,” said Vinton-Shellsburg Superintendent Mary Jo Hainstock, noting Hunter and Zoey were former students in the district. 'It's just a tough day.”

The Grant Wood Area Education Agency sent counselors to both school districts to help students and faculty. Rob Libolt, principal at Center Point-Urbana High School, praised his staff, particularly counselor Kim Bowen.

'She's been a rock star with our kids,” Libolt said. 'You see the kids one minute, they might be tearing up. The next minute, they're laughing, telling stories.”

Neither the school representatives or Robb knew of any memorial events planned for the family yet.

'They were great kids,” Robb said. 'They'll be so missed. I'm just so glad I got the opportunity to know them. They touched a lot of lives.”