A young woman, the young man she was dating alongside, was traveling from a visit home back to college late Thursday night, passing through St. Cloud when a pickup truck pulled out in front of them.
The resulting crash killed the teens, both well-known for their involvement in high school sports here. The driver of the pickup is charged with drunken driving.
Rachel Price, 18, had just gotten a letter inviting her to the World Cup, relatives said. She and Jamaree Cook, 19, had gone to Melbourne Beach to share the good news with Price’s mother.
“Rachel will be missed by her family, her extended family and her friends,” said the girl’s grandfather, Donnie Price. “Rachel was a beautiful person and she brought smiles to everyone around her.”
Price loved athletics, and excelled at soccer. She was named FLORIDA TODAY’s 2011 Girls Soccer Player of the Year and was a member of the 2011 U.S. Under-18 women’s team. Cook graduated from Heritage High in Palm Bay last year and had nine siblings. He was studying at Brevard Community College.
The young woman was attending Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, where she played forward and defender on the soccer team. She and Cook were headed to Eckerd about 8 p.m. Thursday when they collided with the pickup on U.S. 192 just east of St. Cloud.
Florida Highway Patrol officials said Price was driving a 2003 Hyundai west when an oncoming 2002 Ford pickup cut in front of her, trying to head north on Old Melbourne Highway. The Hyundai smashed into the pickup and then hit a 2007 Ford sport utility vehicle stopped at the intersection.
The Hyundai caught fire, and both Price and Cook were killed. The driver of the pickup, identified by police as Randall Kerley, 47, of St. Cloud, was arrested at the scene. FHP spokeswoman Sgt. Kim Montes said troopers reported smelling alcohol on Kerley.
Osceola County corrections officials said Kerley posted bond and was released Friday afternoon without making an initial appearance in court. His bond was set at $21,000.
Troopers went to Cook’s parents’ home at 2 a.m. Friday.
“I knew it was something bad,” said Cook’s mother, Queen Cook. “We looked out the window and saw the state trooper. We just didn’t know which one of the kids (it was). ... I went and got (my husband), but then I ran and hid. I didn’t want to hear it.”
Queen and James Cook raised 10 children, a close-knit mix of biological, adopted, foster and grandchildren. The youngest is 6, and hadn’t yet been told Friday about their brother’s death.
Cook was adopted in 2006, when he was 12. Queen Cook said child welfare workers tried to discourage her, because the boy had a rough upbringing.
“They kept saying, ‘no, no. He’s got issues,’” she remembered. “I said, I’m going to take a chance, and he fit right in. ... As soon as I saw him I knew he was the perfect fit.”
Price was a freshman studying marine biology at Eckerd College. She graduated from Melbourne High, where she played multiple roles on the soccer team and contributed to the team’s two state championships. She had two brothers.
Florida Tech coach Fidgi Haig coached her as a youngster playing club soccer.
“During games, if the players weren’t pushing themselves, she would take over by herself,” Haig said. “She was that kind of player.”
At Heritage High, Cook found a different passion.
“He loved basketball,” said Panthers boys basketball coach Stephen Link, for whom Cook served as team manager last year. “He was a good friend to all the players.”
The resulting crash killed the teens, both well-known for their involvement in high school sports here. The driver of the pickup is charged with drunken driving.
Rachel Price, 18, had just gotten a letter inviting her to the World Cup, relatives said. She and Jamaree Cook, 19, had gone to Melbourne Beach to share the good news with Price’s mother.
“Rachel will be missed by her family, her extended family and her friends,” said the girl’s grandfather, Donnie Price. “Rachel was a beautiful person and she brought smiles to everyone around her.”
Price loved athletics, and excelled at soccer. She was named FLORIDA TODAY’s 2011 Girls Soccer Player of the Year and was a member of the 2011 U.S. Under-18 women’s team. Cook graduated from Heritage High in Palm Bay last year and had nine siblings. He was studying at Brevard Community College.
The young woman was attending Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, where she played forward and defender on the soccer team. She and Cook were headed to Eckerd about 8 p.m. Thursday when they collided with the pickup on U.S. 192 just east of St. Cloud.
Florida Highway Patrol officials said Price was driving a 2003 Hyundai west when an oncoming 2002 Ford pickup cut in front of her, trying to head north on Old Melbourne Highway. The Hyundai smashed into the pickup and then hit a 2007 Ford sport utility vehicle stopped at the intersection.
The Hyundai caught fire, and both Price and Cook were killed. The driver of the pickup, identified by police as Randall Kerley, 47, of St. Cloud, was arrested at the scene. FHP spokeswoman Sgt. Kim Montes said troopers reported smelling alcohol on Kerley.
Osceola County corrections officials said Kerley posted bond and was released Friday afternoon without making an initial appearance in court. His bond was set at $21,000.
Troopers went to Cook’s parents’ home at 2 a.m. Friday.
“I knew it was something bad,” said Cook’s mother, Queen Cook. “We looked out the window and saw the state trooper. We just didn’t know which one of the kids (it was). ... I went and got (my husband), but then I ran and hid. I didn’t want to hear it.”
Queen and James Cook raised 10 children, a close-knit mix of biological, adopted, foster and grandchildren. The youngest is 6, and hadn’t yet been told Friday about their brother’s death.
Cook was adopted in 2006, when he was 12. Queen Cook said child welfare workers tried to discourage her, because the boy had a rough upbringing.
“They kept saying, ‘no, no. He’s got issues,’” she remembered. “I said, I’m going to take a chance, and he fit right in. ... As soon as I saw him I knew he was the perfect fit.”
Price was a freshman studying marine biology at Eckerd College. She graduated from Melbourne High, where she played multiple roles on the soccer team and contributed to the team’s two state championships. She had two brothers.
Florida Tech coach Fidgi Haig coached her as a youngster playing club soccer.
“During games, if the players weren’t pushing themselves, she would take over by herself,” Haig said. “She was that kind of player.”
At Heritage High, Cook found a different passion.
“He loved basketball,” said Panthers boys basketball coach Stephen Link, for whom Cook served as team manager last year. “He was a good friend to all the players.”
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