Twin's unheeded plea turns fatal
Sister told Megan Schnorr not to ride shortly before crash that killed four
Less than 30 minutes before four Amherst teenagers perished in a two-vehicle crash in Clarence Sunday night, the twin sister of one of the victims pleaded with her not to go driving with Viktor Shapiro.
"I told her, "You really shouldn't go with him. He goes too fast,' " Jennifer Schnorr said of the cell phone conversation she had with Megan, her fraternal twin.
"Nothing's going to happen," 16-year-old Megan assured her sister of the plans to go out driving on Clarence's back roads.
But shortly before 8:30 p.m. Shapiro, 18, flew past a stop sign northbound on Strickler Road and collided with a minivan headed west on County Road with his 2002 Nissan Sentra, Erie County sheriff's officials said.
The impact of the crash was so fierce it sent both vehicles 60 feet across the side lawn of a home at the northwest corner of the intersection and ejected Shapiro and Schnorr, who was seated behind him.
Shapiro's body ended up under a parked pickup truck in the driveway, and Schnorr's body slammed into a plastic gym set, breaking it in pieces, authorities said.
Also killed in the crash were Shapiro's other passengers, Mark Brown, 19, who was in the back seat beside Megan, his girlfriend; and Amanda Slisz, 16, who was in the front passenger seat. Slisz and Brown were not ejected from the vehicle because they were wearing seat belts, according to preliminary findings by Erie County Sheriff Sgt. Scott Joslyn, head of accident investigation.
No alcohol was involved in the crash, authorities said, but in recent months Shapiro had been charged with speeding and twice had his license suspended. Speed and passing a stop sign were cited as factors in Sunday's crash.
Mark Grimmer, 69, the driver of the 2009 Honda minivan, was released Monday afternoon from Erie County Medical Center, and his wife, Bonnie, 66, remained hospitalized in fair condition. The couple live in Wheatfield.
Jennifer Schnorr's concerns for her sister were not misplaced. "He took his own life and the lives of three other people. Everyone knows he likes to come out here and go wild," the sister said, standing at a memorial at the crash scene, where some 60 other mostly young people quietly paid their respects.
Acquaintances of Shapiro said he was drawn to the back roads of Clarence because they are long and straight — in other words, inviting to speeders.
Nineteen-year-old Vlad Rushanov said Shapiro was a "motor head" like himself and loved to drive fast. About 10 days ago, Shapiro blurted out a remark that Rushanov of Clarence could not get out of his head Monday. Rushanov said he and Shapiro had been driving on Transit Road in Amherst when another car pulled out in front of them.
"Viktor swerved his car into the left lane to avoid hitting this car that pulled out from a store. Viktor said to me, "I love my car so much, I'm probably going to die in it,' " Rushanov said, holding a tiny piece of his friend's shattered windshield at the crash scene. "I'm going to make a memorial out of it."
He also plans to memorialize his friend by changing his own ways on the road. "This is a reality check for all of us," Rushanov said. "I'm not going to speed anymore."
Neighbors living near the crash scene complained that vehicles frequently break the 55-mph speed limit on County Road and the 45-mph limit on Strickler.
"We asked the town if they'd lower the speed limit, and we were told not enough houses are on the road to lower it," said Frank Nicotra of County Road.
If there was any question the intersection is dangerous, consider this: A second crash occurred at about 7:15 p.m. Monday when a southbound driver on Strickler drove past the stop sign and crashed into a plumbing supply truck headed east on County Road. Three people were hurt but were expected to live, Erie County Undersheriff Richard Donovan said.
About an hour before Sunday night's crash, Shapiro and his friends had gotten something to eat on Transit Road.
They then went to a nearby Walmart, where Shapiro purchased a 7-inch LCD-dashboard display screen that provides navigational instructions and allows for playing video games, according to Mark Guenther.
Guenther then parted ways with Shapiro, who apparently decided to take a drive with his other companions.
Danielle Bassinger, who lives with the Schnorr family in Amherst, said she had been in contact with Megan moments before the crash. "... Megan texted me to say she'd be home really shortly," Bassinger said.
Unlike Bassinger and others who expressed their grief at the crash scene, Shapiro's parents privately mourned the loss of their only child in their home in the Audubon section of Amherst.
Connie and Alex Shapiro explained that they had come to the United States from their native Ukraine 17 years ago to give their son opportunities in life.
"Because we have a son, we were interested in his future," Connie Shapiro said. "We were planning to take Viktor back to the Ukraine next summer. He wanted to see where he was born." Now the bereaved mother says she hopes other young people will learn from this tragedy. "Drive slowly," she said.
Records show Shapiro wasn't a cautious driver during the short time he held a license. According to Department of Motor Vehicles records, while still holding a junior driver's license, he was charged and later convicted of driving 73 mph in a 55-mph zone in February. His license was suspended when he failed to appear in court in April or pay the $90 fine.
His license was restored after he appeared before a judge in May, but the DMV shows that it was suspended once again a month later. The suspension apparently didn't keep Shapiro from getting behind the wheel.
According to a brief item in the July 7 edition of the Dunkirk Observer, Shapiro was once again pulled over by police and arraigned on a host of charges including aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle, unsafe tires, no registration, no insurance and no inspection.
His junior license suspension was lifted on Aug. 18 and he was granted a regular driver's license Aug. 30, records show. Shapiro was scheduled to appear Wednesday in Silver Creek Village Court to address outstanding charges against him.
Shapiro's funeral service is set for 3 p.m. today at Amherst Memorial Chapel on Dodge Road. At 8 p.m. Friday, "An Evening of Prayer and Reflection" will be held for all four young people at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church off Maple Road, Amherst.
Back at the crash scene, Cindy Slisz, an aunt of Amanda Slisz, provided a statement from her niece's father, Richard C. Slisz: "I just miss Amanda and I want her home," the father said.
Cindy Slisz added that tissue and bone were being harvested from Amanda for transplants.
Amanda also is survived by her mother, Maureen, of Amherst, and her grandfather Richard A. Slisz, former Democratic chairman of the Erie County Legislature and a City of Tonawanda Common Council candidate in today's elections.
As for Brown, his friends said he was released earlier Sunday from a drug rehabilitation facility and was happy to be spending time with his girlfriend.
But before going out with his friends Sunday, Brown had moved back in with his mother, Dawn Brown, and spent a good part of the day visiting with her and his sister, Heather.
"He spent a wonderful day with his mother and his sister and they are thankful for that," said a relative of the family.
Brown, like the others, attended Williamsville Central Schools. He graduated from North High School in 2007. Slisz was a junior at East High School and Schnorr was a South High School junior assigned to the district's alternative education program.
Shapiro also attended North High, but did not finish. His parents said he was taking classes and had hoped to attend Erie Community College.
School Superintendent Howard Smith sent a letter home with all high school students Monday about the crash, encouraging parents to talk with their children.
School officials who knew both Slisz and Schnorr described them as friendly, outgoing and caring students. Their deaths cast a shadow over the school day Monday. Tricia DeSantis, assistant principal at East, said grief counselors addressed the students of every class in which Slisz was enrolled Monday.
There was no question those who knew the four young crash victims were struggling with the finality of death.
"I know the definition of death," said Sarah Hayden, one of Schnorr's many close friends, "but it is hard to wrap my head around it. She's not living, she's not breathing."
lmichel@buffnews.com and stan@buffnews.com
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