Mistaken ID of Crash Victims Brings Joy, Grief

June 1, 2006 — -- After a deadly car crash in Indiana, VanRyn family members held vigil at the bedside of their daughter for five weeks.

Then she emerged from her coma, and the family realized she was not its daughter after all, but her friend, who was believed to have died in the accident.

On April 26, Whitney Cerak and Laura VanRyn -- two friends from Indiana's Taylor University who look strikingly similar -- were traveling in a van that was struck by a tractor-trailer that had drifted across a highway median.

A Taylor University staff member and four students -- including the girl identified as Cerak -- were killed, while the girl initially believed to be VanRyn, 22, survived but was severely disfigured and in a coma.

It was VanRyn who died in the accident, while Cerak survived and ultimately emerged from the coma.

A Striking Resemblance

The Cerak family had held a funeral for Whitney, though they had actually never viewed the body. They wanted to remember Whitney as she was before the accident.

"There was a striking resemblance between the pictorial ID and the victim," said Ron Mowery, Grant County coroner.

Meanwhile, the VanRyns kept a detailed blog of "Laura's" progress.

"Laura is still sporting the pigtails and her face is looking quite normal; there is virtually no swelling at all," the family wrote on May 6.

Two weeks later, it posted the following entry: "As far as recognizing us... we think that sometimes she does, and sometimes she doesn't."

As "Laura" regained consciousness, the VanRyns finally realized something was wrong.

"She was saying her name was Whitney, and just things that were personal and led the family to believe this was not their daughter," said Bruce Rossman, a media relations manager for Spectrum Health, a nursing center based in Michigan.

'Whitney's Alive!'

Dental records confirmed it was Cerak, 19, who had survived the crash. The VanRyn family made the news public on its blog on Wednesday.

"Our hearts are aching as we have learned that the young woman we have been taking care of over the past five weeks has not been our dear Laura, but instead a fellow Taylor student of hers, Whitney Cerak. There was a misidentification made at the time of the accident and it is uncanny the resemblance that these two women share," the blog entry reads. "We rejoice with the Ceraks, that they will have more time on this earth with their daughter, sister, and loved one."

Cerak's grandfather, Emil Frank, got the message from Cerak's mother.

"She said, 'Whitney is alive!,'" Frank said. "I could hardly believe it, you know."

Prosecutors are weighing criminal charges against the driver of the truck in the crash that killed the Taylor University students.

The other victims include: Elizabeth A. Smith, 22, from Mount Zion, Ill.; Bradley J. Larson, 22, from Elm Grove, Wis.; Laurel E. Erb, 20, from St. Charles, Ill.; and university employee Monica Felver, 53, from Hartford City, Ind.

A memorial service for VanRyn is scheduled for Sunday in Grand Rapids, Mich.