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Two former LHS students die in car crash

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Two Leander High School graduates were pronounced dead early Thursday morning after being pulled from a vehicle that left the roadway and landed in the South Concho River in San Angelo.

The driver was identified as December 2005 LHS graduate Mathew William Ansier, 19. Ansier was pronounced dead on the scene at approximately 1:45 a.m., said Tom Green County Justice of the Peace Fred Buck.

The passenger was 18-year-old Joseph G. Elmore, a May 2006 LHS graduate. Both men attended Angelo State University and were enrolled for the spring semester, according to a press release from Lt. Curtis Milbourn with the San Angelo Police Department.

Emergency departments were called to the scene at 1:44 a.m., responding to the 300 block of South Concho Park Drive. The SAPD press release said police and fire personnel found a 1999 purple Mercury Cougar upside-down in the Concho river. While the incident is still under investigation, Milbourn's press release stated that it appeared Ansier was driving west on South Concho Park Drive between Lester Lane and West Avenue K when he failed to make a turn, then left the roadway, landing in the river.

Elmore was quickly recovered from the vehicle and taken to Shannon Health Emergency Department in San Angelo, where emergency staff attempted to revive him, Buck said. Elmore was pronounced dead at 2:20 a.m. in the hospital. Buck said because the accident occurred in the dark and the vehicle landed the water, emergency workers were not able to recover Ansier's body from the car until approximately 3 a.m.

According to reports, Buck said the water in which the Mercury Cougar landed was shallow enough for emergency workers to stand. The bodies of the two men were sent to Lubbock for an autopsy. Funeral service arrangements were unknown at press time.

Both Ansier and Elmore participated in wrestling at LHS. Elmore also played baseball at LHS. His cousin, Amanda, is a sophomore at Vista Ridge High School and plays on the varsity basketball team.

“Joe was on my baseball team. He's a really good guy,” said Austin Dunn, a May 2006 LHS graduate and acquaintance of Elmore's. “He never really treated anybody badly just because of the way they looked. It really did hurt me to hear about him going. My heart goes out to his family.”

Ansier was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity at Angelo State University. Fellow Pi Kappa Alpha member Devin Pressly said he and others in the fraternity were unaware of the circumstances surrounding the accident. Pressly said the university will likely hold a memorial service, as will the Pi Kappa Alpha alumni. Fraternity members will wait to hear about the arrangements set up by Ansier's family.

“He's smart and witty. He'll be missed a lot,” Pressly said about Ansier. “He was a good guy. Matt would say what he was thinking, no matter what.”

After hearing about their deaths, friends of Ansier and Elmore began leaving comments on their MySpace.com pages. Comments such as “rest in peace” and others highlighting fond memories of the two were left on their pages.

Several of the comments were final farewells such as, “hey little buddy, im sure ur in heaven right now but i just wanted to let you know that it was wonderful knowing you. your an amazing guy with a huge heart and im sure god wanted you for some great reason.....so yea buddy take it easy and we'll all see you someday.....rest in peace lil joe.”

Another friend said a last goodbye to Ansier, “Matt, You will always be in my heart forever. I hate myself for not being as good of a friend as you were to me. As good as a best friend should. Just tell the big man to take it easy on us for a while while we recover. this goes so deep. this cuts into my heart. I still don't feel like your gone. ... I know god made this happen for a reason so we could all experience what we are missing on this earth without your great spirit here. Your spirit will always be part of me. Through the good and the bad a great friend will always remain.”

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