MARINETTE (NBC 26) — A deadly crash in the Town of Lake killed two teenagers and seriously injured two others on Saturday night. The family and friends of Princeton Welty, one of the young men who died, remember him as confident, outgoing and kind.
On County Highway G near Loomis Road in the Town of Lake, there are clear tire tracks carved into the grass and broken branches and trees– marking the spot where a car veered off the road and killed the driver, 16-year-old Landen Englund, and the front-seat passenger, 17-year-old Princeton Welty.
Also marking the spot is a memorial with flowers and two white crosses.
“One is for Princeton and one is for Landen, and then all of our friends and family come out and sign them to celebrate the and to just keep their memory alive," Nilea Guns, one of Princeton's family members, says. “Seeing this here just shows like how much everyone in the community loved him.”
Guns says she has visited the memorial multiple times since the crash on Saturday.
“He was a very funny, cocky little man," she says of Princeton. "He was very hard working, and a very bright light to the community.”
Princeton was a big car guy, so many of his friends wrote messages on the windows of their trucks, reading: "long live Princeton Welty" and "long live Landen Englund."
“He was one that could make friends with anyone," Cody Gruszynski, one of Princeton's friend's says. "He could go up to someone and start a conversation and keep it going for hours.
Gruszynski says he thought of Princeton more as a brother than a friend.
“He really just kind of walked to his own beat," Alder Wilson, another of Princeton's friends says. "He was so uplifting, every time he’d come up and talk to you, he’d scream your name, you just knew it was Princeton when you heard his voice and it was awesome."
Princeton's parents spoke over the phone about their loss. Princeton's father, Dan Welty, is a firefighter, and was one of the first responders who was called to the scene.
"It's not a sight any parent wants to go through," Teanna Welty, Princeton's mom, says.
Dan says Princeton spent a lot of time helping out at the fire station and got to know the first responder community well.
"The firefighters is a family in and of itself, so everybody on that fire department felt like they lost a family member as well," Dan says.
Princeton's parents say they remember his contagious smile and his love of cars, the family farm and the outdoors
"He spent a lot of time with his friends enjoying the trucks that they worked on all the time," Dan says.
Dan and Teanna say they hope this incident serves as a warning against reckless driving.
"If we can use this as a teaching moment to help other people make better decisions on the road, we can keep his memory alive," Dan says. "We don't want this accident to be forgotten and the mistakes to be repeated by others."
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The community is hosting a vigil for Princeton at the Town of Lake Town Hall on Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 8 p.m. The vigil will include a classic car show in Princeton's honor.
Teanna and Dan ask the car community to be respectful and avoid burnouts or donuts.
"Being a victim of reckless driving, the family truly does not want reckless driving to be a tribute," Dan says.
Landen Englund is from Menominee, Michigan. His former school district took to social media on Sunday, saying they’ll be offering additional mental health support for students this week.
Menominee Area Public Schools superintendent Drew Buyarski posted on Facebook the following message:
"I am deeply saddened to share that one of our former students who had recently transferred has died following an accident that occurred Saturday evening. We have also learned that another former student was seriously injured in the same accident.
Our thoughts are with the families, friends, classmates, staff members, and everyone affected by this terrible news. A loss like this can have a profound impact across our school community.
When students return to school on Monday, additional mental health professionals and support resources will be available for any students or staff members who may need them. We encourage families to speak with their children about how they are feeling and to remind them that it is okay to ask for help. Students are also encouraged to reach out to a school counselor or another trusted adult at any time.
As our school community processes this loss together, we ask everyone to respect the privacy of the families involved. Please join us in keeping all those affected in your thoughts during this difficult time."
