JFK students hospitalized after crash in Merrick

All students "doing OK," principal says

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Five John F. Kennedy High School students were involved in a serious car accident in Merrick on the way home from wrestling practice Tuesday night.

According to Kennedy Principal Gerard Owenburg, all five were taken to hospitals with serious, but non life-threatening injuries.

The crash took place early in the evening at Merrick Road and Frankel Boulevard, according to a witness.

Owenburg wrote Wednesday morning in a letter to parents that the students "are all doing OK.”

“I know many of you in the community may have heard about this accident and are concerned about these students,” Owenburg wrote. “Along with (phys. ed. teacher) Brian DeGaetano and (Superintendent) John DeTommaso, I was able to visit all five students at the hospital.”

Owenburg added that on Wednesday, counselors would be available at the school’s wellness center from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. for any distraught students.