Families stunned by case of daughters' mistaken identities

UPLAND, Ind. -- A family who sat by their comatose daughter's bedside for weeks after an April 26 crash killed four Taylor University students and an employee learned the woman was not their daughter, but instead another student who was in the van when it was struck by a semitrailer.\nThe family of student Laura VanRyn, 22, issued a statement on a Web log dedicated to updates on the young woman's recovery.\n"Our hearts are aching as we have learned that the young woman we have been taking care of over the past five weeks has not been our dear Laura, but instead a fellow Taylor student of hers, Whitney Cerak," the statement said.\nVanRyn, of Caledonia, Mich., and Cerak, 18, of Gaylord, Mich., bore an "uncanny resemblance" to each other, the statement said.\nThe family said that as the woman they believed to be Laura began regaining consciousness, she said things that made them question her identity. After further investigation, the statement said, "We now know without a doubt, that this is Whitney."\nTaylor University officials confirmed the case of mistaken identity Wednesday.\n"We rejoice with the Ceraks. We grieve with the VanRyns," said Taylor spokesman Jim Garringer.\nGarringer said the Grant County Coroner notified the school of the error.\nEfforts to reach the Cerak family's Indianapolis attorney were not immediately successful Wednesday. The coroner's office also did not immediately return a message left by The Associated Press.\nAuthorities had said Cerak was among four students and a staff member killed when a semitrailer crossed an interstate median and collided with their school van. The survivor believed to be VanRyn was taken to a rehabilitation facility in Grand Rapids, Mich., where her true identity was discovered.\nAlso killed in the crash were students Elizabeth A. Smith, 22, from Mount Zion, Ill., Bradley J. Larson, 22, from Elm Grove, Wis., Laurel E. Erb, 20, from St. Charles, Ill., and university employee Monica Felver, 53, from Hartford City, Ind.\nGrant County Prosecutor James Luttrull Jr. is reviewing the findings of the crash to determine whether criminal charges are warranted.\nStatements from witnesses and tests suggest trucker Robert F. Spencer, 37, of Michigan, fell asleep at the wheel before his semitrailer drifted across the median midway between Fort Wayne and Indianapolis and hit the university van, investigators have said.