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Teen’s death brings grief to B’wood
Published April 5, 2008
When the school day began Friday morning at Brazos-wood High School, one desk among the sophomore class was empty.
Their classmate, Alex Pulido, 15, was gone, killed with his mother, Guadalupe Sykes, 41, in a wreck the night before. Dustin Lackey, 18, a home-schooled student from Angle-ton, also was killed.
“To walk into a class and tell those kids what happened … it’s hard,” Brazoswood High counselor Patty Trahan said. “And to see the big boys cry right along with the littlest girls, it’s very good to see that. It’s something they need to do, but it breaks your heart.”
Alex’s death ripped through hearts at Brazoswood, as teachers and students alike mourned, even as many still were coping with the suicide Sunday of another student.
“Several kids found out about Alex as they showed up dressed to go to (the other student’s) funeral,” Trahan said.
Brazoswood High Principal Steve Snell closed the school library for the day so anyone could quietly find time there with counselors.
“We did that Monday and Tuesday for the young man killed last weekend, and we’re doing it today for the young man killed last night,” Snell said. “We’re having a tough day.”
Snell and his counselors sent out e-mails to the staff to prepare them for the bad news Friday morning. They also worked with counselors at Clute Intermediate School, where Alex attended, to help those needing it there. Brazosport High School staff said they also were ready to aid friends and family, such as Lackey’s stepbrother, who attends the school.
An outing to celebrate the Clute family’s anniversary ended in tragedy. Though the accident investigation is not yet complete, it appears the Jeep Cherokee carrying Alex Pulido and Guadalupe Sykes turned left onto FM 523 in front of Lackey’s Suzuki motorcycle, failing to yield to oncoming traffic, said Department of Public Safety Trooper Manuel Cantu.
The collision of the motorcycle and the SUV was with such force and ensuing damage, Lackey might have contributed to the accident through excessive speed, Cantu said.
“That was a pretty good smack on the side of the Jeep,” he said.
Three other people in the SUV — Elbert Sykes, Guadalupe’s 45-year-old husband, 5-year-old Jeremiah Sykes and 8-year-old Kayle Pulido — suffered cuts and abrasions and were treated and released at Brazosport Regional Health System late Thursday, hospital officials said.
“A lot of kids were hurting today,” Trahan said at the end of a long day. Alex was well-liked by many students, but had a close circle of friends and had been active in the school’s soccer team, she said.
Alex’s English teacher, in her first year, wept when she found out, Trahan said. She sought out a counselor’s help as well, as Alex was the first student she’s lost.
“It’s very difficult when that happens to you,” Trahan said. “We think of our students as our kids. She was really having a hard time.”
Others turned to prayer for solace, she said. Students led groups gathered to grieve in moments of silence and invocation. For most of the students, that empty desk was their first confrontation with a cold reality of life, she said.
“The support of each other is phenomenal,” Trahan said. “Many of them have very strong faith in God. I watched the kids lead their classmates in prayer for Alex.
“It was beautiful.”
Hunter Sauls is a reporter for The Facts. Contact him at (979) 237-0153.
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TRAGIC
ACCIDENT
Three were killed Thursday evening when a motorcycle and a sports utility vehicle collided off FM 523 at Stratton Ridge Road. Three others were injured in the accident.
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