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December 14, 2009

North Laurel senior killed in wreck

Slick roads believed to have caused East Bernstadt accident

By Samantha Swindler / Managing Editor

A senior at North Laurel High School was killed Sunday afternoon in a single-vehicle car accident in East Bernstadt.

Laurel County Sheriff Fred Yaden said Carmen Leann Howell, 17, died after her car left the roadway on KY 490 and struck a tree.

Slick roads are believed to have contributed to the accident, Yaden said.

“She was very nice, she was one of the sweetest girls you could ever meet, and she was very friendly and anybody could talk to her if they needed to,” said junior Michael Bunch, who according to Howell’s own Myspace page, was her best friend. “She was always there if they needed to talk, and she was just an amazing friend.”

Bunch said he met Howell three years ago when he was a freshman at North Laurel High School.

“I received a message on the computer (Sunday) saying that she had been involved in an accident and that she passed away,” he said. “I was very upset and I started shaking all over.”

Bunch said Howell wanted to be a photographer, and she was looking at colleges, though he wasn’t sure if she had made a decision on one. He said she also took pictures for the high school yearbook.

“She’s been taking pictures for a while now, it was something that she really wanted to do,” he said.

“I love her and I’ll miss her forever,” Bunch added. “Every day that I saw her at school was a good day, and I’ll never forget her.”

Funeral services are pending with Bowling Funeral Home.

Deputies Josh Gaylor and Jason Back are in charge of the investigation.

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