Western Oregon Journal

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We lost one of our own last weekend.

Leah Trutna, a 21-year-old junior, died early Saturday morning, May 28, in a motorcycle accident on Front Street in Salem.  Her death was the result of the driver of the motorcycle driving too fast to negotiate a turn onto the Marion Street Bridge.  Leah was thrown from the motorcycle and lives were changed forever.

I heard about the accident later that afternoon.  I went home over the holiday weekend, and my mom happened to have the news on.  I wasn’t really paying attention until I heard about a motorcycle accident in which a girl from Monmouth was killed.  I didn’t entirely catch the name, but thought—and feared—it was Leah’s.

Unfortunately, I was right.

I didn’t know Leah personally, although I knew who she was.  The facts alone speak well of her: her 3.72 GPA in biology, her status as a top runner on the cross country and track squads, her GNAC All-Academic Team honors.

However, they don’t nearly tell about who Leah was.  A young woman with medical school aspirations and a strong work ethic.  Someone always described as so incredibly nice—just a sweet girl.

I just can’t get over it—over the fact that she’s gone now.  I saw her just a few weeks ago, as I often did this spring term, running through my neighborhood with teammates during practice.  Her death seems so surreal.

The tragedy of Leah’s passing is not just how she died, but what she had in front of her that will never be realized.  Leah will never graduate from college, get married or have children and grandchildren.  She stood on the cusp of the rest of her life, and to see that taken away so violently…it’s something I just haven’t been able to process.

If nothing else, please learn from Leah’s passing.  Please remember that your choices—all of them—have consequences, not only for yourself, but also for other people.  You never know when a choice you make will wind up so drastically affecting others, so choose wisely.  By all means, live your life to the fullest, but choose wisely.

God bless, and Godspeed, Leah.  You will be missed.

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