The small town of Denton, Montana is mourning the tragic death of four teenage boys after an unexplainable car accident on June 19th.
Brothers Kale and Kade Phelps and fellow Denton residents Jace Jelinek and Dayne Heble were killed when the car that they were riding in crashed, rolled over, and burst into flames. mycartaxcheck.co.uk mentioned that the four teens were on their way to a basketball tournament in a nearby town.
Denton, Montana has a population of about 300 people, and life revolves around small-town business and school sports. The four teens made up 10 percent of Denton High School’s student population.
A memorial service was held at the high school football field on Thursday, with more than 1,000 residents in attendance. People brought food and drinks, and relatives and classmates recalled the lives of four young boys, all who loved sports, their families, and school.
“There have never been four more spirited boys,” recalled the mother of Jace Jelinek, Terri.
Montana has a very high rate of vehicle accidents that result in death. Teens are able to drive at age 15, and the speed limit is often faster than 55 on the long, straight, rural roads.
Related article courtesy of MSNBC.com.
Nicolette Kuff is a freelance writer from Upstate NY.
10 users commented in " 4 Denton, Montana Teens Killed In Car Accident "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackI was raised in Winifred, Mt. and know Denton well. My heart goes out for the students, parents and families of this close knit community. Ray & Eloise Asbjornson
I’m from teigen montana and i knew some of the boys really well. It shocked me when i heard about the accident and it hurt me a lot.
I am from lewistown and I didnt know the denton boys very well i had seen them two nights before at the city league basketball tournament in lewistown that is where they were headed and that is where i found out. We talked a bit some of my friends talked to them more cuz they knew them better everyone laughed that night we didnt know it was going to happen. all my friends the day of the accident all piled into one room like fifteen ppl. and that is just lewistown. Every town was hit and hit hard, every town. It hurts to see your friends cry.
Montana needs to change their driving laws as soon as possible. What can you possibly expect from 15-year-olds? Not all can be responsible. But I’m hoping that their parents can at least file for auto accidents claims. These may not be totally enough to bring back the lives of the boys, but they can be very useful in starting a new life.
Are you kidding me? You think insurance claims can even some close? My brother was in that wreck. He was one of the two who survived and I can tell you for a fact that it made every parent involved in this accident absolutely sick to even think about money. And as for the driving laws, that has nothing to do with this. I dont’ know where you are from but I would appreciate it if you didn’t judge our laws by your clouded standards. And for the record, the driver was 17 and was driving under the speed limit.
Ya tell him Arin I think this article has the date wrong too
Thank You Arin!!!! I second everything Arin said!! I am an aunt of one of the boys who did not survive the accident!! NO MONEY in the world will EVER bring back the lives we want or erase that ugly day! How sick to even think of something like that!! I pity you Mark – I hope you NEVER in your life have to experience pain beyond imagination!! God help you (and your expert opinions) if you do! It’s easy to judge from your end isn’t it??? You didn’t know any of these boys, or the circumstances – so keep your stupid mouth shut!!!
I am a Denton High alumnus class of ’88. I have lived out-of-state since my graduation and just today learned of this terrible tragedy. What burns me is when someone as ignorant and uninformed of the facts and circumstances as Mr. Castrillo uses a tragic accident like this to get on his moral soap box and lecture the rest of us. Mr. Castrillo have you ever lived in Montana or even visited here? Just what are you basing your over-valued opinions on? Did you bother to gather all the facts before you posted your insulting comments? You obviously don’t know the kind of people who live in that community and what a terrible loss was inflicted on the residents by the passing of so many youths in a single incident. Insurance claims would be the farthest thing from those families’ hearts and minds. My thoughts and prayers (belatedly) go out all the students of Denton High, the families and friends of the deceased, and every resident of Denton as well as all of Central Montana. Thank you Mr. Peters for you justly outraged response and setting the record straight.
-Jeff Dillon
Proud alumnus
i am from denton. my best friend died in that car. i was supposed to be in that car. and not one day goes by without me knowing that. its so hard living without something that you lived for. RIp Dayne Emanuel Heble. LOve u forever budd.
Better journalism by Nicolette Kuff would have reported that the police stated no speeding or dangerous driving was involved and they are not yet sure why the car caught fire. Why she chose, without regard to others feelings, to instead imply the accident was due to age and speed is beyond me.
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