Freshman dies in automobile accident

Freshman Jamie Epstein planned to see some of her favorite Broadway musicals -- "Aida," "Cabaret" and "Rent" -- in New York City during spring break.\nBut the 18-year-old native of Peoria, Ill., never arrived at her destination.\nEpstein died March 10 after an accident on Interstate 80 near DuBois, Penn., about 60 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. \n"It's so unreal," said Donna Ray, a freshman at the University of Kentucky who attended Richwoods High School in Peoria with Epstein. "She was so in control of her life, doing what she wanted to do. She had a handle on everything."\nFreshmen Christina Will and Kama Fann, two of Epstein's hallmates at Teter-Rabb, accompanied her on the trip. When the accident took place, Will was driving Epstein's 1999 Chevrolet Prism, Pennsylvania State Police said. \nTrooper David O'Donnell said Epstein had been resting in the back seat when Will lost control of the vehicle, which went onto the shoulder. Will, a 19-year-old also from Peoria, over-corrected while trying to get the car back onto the road, O'Donnell said.\nThe car went into the median, where it flipped several times before coming to rest on its side. Epstein, who wasn't wearing a seat belt, was thrown from the car. She was pronounced dead of head injuries shortly after police arrived, O'Donnell said.\nWill and Fann were taken to the DuBois Regional Medical Center, where they were treated and released. No tickets were issued, and O'Donnell said no drugs or alcohol were involved.\nO'Donnell, who investigated the accident, said Will told police she had been reaching for something when she lost control of the car. Both Will and Fann, who suffered minor scrapes and bruises, had been wearing their seat belts. Fann also broke her arm.\n"I was nauseous when I heard," said Jamie's brother, Reid Epstein. "The feeling was unimaginable -- it was like being hit by a truck."\nReid Epstein, a senior at Emory University in Atlanta, received the news on the way to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where he had intended to spend his spring break. Four hours after he came into town, he caught a flight home to Peoria.\nHe attended the funeral services last Friday and said he has had a hard time coping.\n"Each day is better than the one before," he said. "It's gotten to the point where we're able to be functional. I can now turn on a TV or pick up a newspaper. But if I'm watching a basketball game, I'll see an car commercial and that'll set me off thinking about Jamie."\nMore than 500 miles away, Reid regularly spoke with his sister on the phone, he said.\n"This year she was as happy as she had ever been," he said. "Her growth in the past year was just amazing."\nEpstein had just been initiated into Phi Mu sorority and took part in IU Sing. She had long been interested in musical theater and had been gravitating toward a fine arts degree. \n"She sung in a lot of school musicals," he said. "She didn't just do what was expected of her. She pushed into things she enjoyed."\nEpstein's friends also remember her fun-loving spirit.\n"She was a wonderful, wonderful person," said Ray, who had run cross country with Epstein for three years in high school. "She was always so much fun to be around. We were so close."\nEpstein kept up with most of her friends from Peoria, including Ann Sauder, a freshman at Illinois-Wesleyan University whom Epstein had known since first grade. \n"We talked everyday," Sauder said. "I always went to her for advice. She was part of our family, and I was part of hers."\nSauder has many fond memories of her closest friend.\n"(Epstein) was so fun; she was just everyone's mascot," Sauder said. "She always tried to keep the conversation light, keep everyone happy. She always made everyone laugh -- she was such a sweet, pure person." \nIn her first year of college, Epstein had started to crack through some of her shyness, Sauder said.\n"She had just started to open up," Sauder said. "She was finally gaining a lot of confidence, which is the only good thing I have to hold onto."\nJamie Epstein's parents have started a scholarship fund in their late daughter's name. Contributions can be mailed to The Peoria Area Community Foundation, 124 Southwest Adams St. Suite M-1 Peoria, Ill. 61602. Specify contributions as for The Jamie Epstein Scholarship Fund.