Family, friends mourn Penn student from LI

Family and friends on Saturday mourned the loss of Courtney O'Bryan, a Penn State student from Huntington who died in a wreck on an icy highway while on a cancer fundraising trip.

The college freshman and four other students were headed to Buffalo about 8:30 p.m. Friday when their sport utility vehicle hit a patch of ice, overturned and slammed into a tree in Lewis Run, Pa., authorities said.

O'Bryan, 18, who was thrown from the vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene, the Pennsylvania State Police said.

The tragedy left her mother, Lisa Brigandi, of Huntington, unable to express her grief.

The fatal crash happened on Brigandi's birthday, the teen's stepfather said.

Nick Brigandi said the family last saw O'Bryan on Nov. 27, when she boarded the bus bound for Penn State.

"She was cheerful. She was wonderful," he said.

O'Bryan graduated in 2011 from Huntington High School, where she played soccer, basketball and lacrosse, according to the school district's website. She was also a member of the Natural Helpers club, which helps students with their problems.

The accident happened in a rural area of northern Pennsylvania.

The driver of the 2011 Nissan Pathfinder, John Edwards, 20, of Dumfries, Va., lost control on State Road 219 about a mile south of State Route 59. The upside-down SUV slid down an embankment before hitting the tree, State Trooper Ted Race said.

O'Bryan, who was in the right rear passenger seat, was not wearing a seat belt, Race said.

The other students survived the wreck and were treated at area hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries, Race said.

Also in the SUV were Chris Toner, 21, of Bethel Park, Pa., Jena Pardhan, 18, of Plainview, and Lauren Bronstein, 19, of Maple Glen, Pa.

Race said he expects Edwards to be cited for driving too fast for conditions, and stressed that investigators are also considering criminal charges. "It's a criminal investigation, not only a traffic violation," he said.

At the time of the accident, O'Bryan was traveling on behalf of Sigma Delta Tau as part of a group of sororities and fraternities raising money for the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon.

The trips were part of a yearlong effort to raise funds and awareness for the fight against pediatric cancer, the university said.

"This is devastating news," Joe Puzycki, Penn State's assistant vice president for student affairs, said in a statement.

"We are all tremendously saddened to learn of the death of a student and deeply concerned for those who knew Courtney. Our hearts go out to her family and friends," Puzycki said.