This is a tragic story of three mothers, all from the same province in China, who lost their children in a car wreck in Ohio in 2007... Now, two years later, they're struggling with American laws and language as they work to recoup the tens of thousands of dollars they borrowed to educate, and bury, their children: Chinese mothers lose children, livelihoods in fatal wreck.
On March 8, 2007, Sun "Zoe Yan, Bian "Jack" Jin and Xue "Jo" Bing -- all graduate students at Urbana University in Ohio -- were returning from a spring break shopping trip, when a reckless driver, Jason Skaggs, crashed his car at 98 mph, causing a nasty multiple vehicle wreck. The three were killed instantly.
Skaggs was found guilty of aggravated vehicular homicide. During the trial, the media uncovered a litany of driving violations committed by Skaggs, including a previous vehicular homicide and a speeding ticket he received for driving 91 mph in a 65-mph zone just weeks before the wreck.
In August, Skaggs was sentenced to the maximum 34 years in prison. This, however, does little to comfort the students' parents. They wonder how Skaggs still had a license to begin with. And now, the beloved kids that they put so much of their family's hopes in... are gone.
According to the story, Urbana University has collected thousands of dollars for the families of Xue Bing, Bian Jin and Sun Yan and will maintain a charitable fund indefinitely. Those interested in helping the families can send donations to:
c/o Jim Wilson
Office of Development
Urbana University
579 College Way
Urbana, Ohio 43078
*
