Remembering 4 teens killed in head-on crash: Siblings, school athletes and rising graduates

Just before noon on Thursday, Alberto Pedraza was driving a box truck on Highway 264, going too fast for the rainy conditions. He lost control and crossed the median, crashing head-on with a car with five teenagers inside, according to officials.

He has been charged with misdemeanor death by vehicle and exceeding a safe speed for the conditions.

Three of the teens died at the scene, while a fourth was taken to the hospital where they later died.

Friends and family are grieving the sudden, shocking loss.

One of the teens was a rising star on the softball field. Two of them were siblings -- with one set to walk across the stage this weekend.

Dakota Wilson, 17, the fifth teenager inside the car, was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

Madison was set to graduate from Southwest Edgecombe High School Saturday. According to her pastor, all she had been able to talk about was how excited she was to walk across the stage.

One of her family members said they are still processing the loss of Madison and her little brother Devin. This should have been a week of celebration, as she prepared to graduate – but it's been turned into a nightmare.

Their pastor Henry Parker of Belvoir Free Will Baptist Church, has been meeting with the family, who is trying to come to grips with losing their two children.

"They’re going to hurt, they’re going to mourn, they’re going to cry. There’s nothing wrong with that. And I encourage them to do that. But they have a peace along with that knowing that their children are in the arms of Christ," he said.

On Friday, Pitt Community College students held a candlelight vigil for Foster, who was on the softball team. She was described as "a leader on the field and a treasured friend to her teammates."

"Everyone looked up to Abby," described Foster's friend Kim Gurkins. "From a young age, she was determined to get what she had to do done."

"She was a great person, she lit up a room every time she walked in and she made you want to be a better person," added Maeana Gray.

Foster was enrolled in the general education program at PCC and planned to study medical sonography at the college once she completed the program’s entrance requirements.

John Winstead was also a student athlete, playing baseball at Tarboro High.

His coach, Zachary Parisher, said, "He was just a great kid. On the baseball field, in the classroom, everywhere."

Those close to the victims say they’re still trying to understand how this could have happened.

Parents are also trying to help their children cope with the loss of the four teenagers.

"It's so difficult to lose a child - to lose four in an instant - I can't imagine how that feels as a parent. I feel devastated," said Robin Gray, a family friend of the Fosters.