Fayetteville,AR: 17-year-old Pine Forest High School senior died from injuries sustained in a single-vehicle crash northwest of on Friday afternoon.7th November 2014

A 17-year-old Pine Forest High School senior died from injuries sustained in a single-vehicle crash northwest of Fayetteville on Friday afternoon. Brian Widhalm, of the 7700 block of Magma Drive, was killed after losing control of the 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt he was driving east on Johnson Farm Road, about 1.3 miles west of Fayetteville, the state Highway Patrol says. This is David Culbreth's second year as principal at Pine Forest High. He didn't know Widhalm well. "But everything I'm getting from teachers and students was that he was a likeable young man," Culbreth said. "A good student. He was in our Aces choral program." The wreck, which happened at 3:17 p.m., occurred four-tenths of a mile from the intersection of Tom Hart Road, the state Highway Patrol said Saturday. According to the accident report filed by Trooper D.C. Cagle, the vehicle veered off the road to the right before Widhalm overcorrected and crossed the center line, losing control of the Cobalt. The vehicle then struck a ditch and a tree. It appears he was the only passenger in the car. Cumberland County Superintendent Frank Till said the school was notified of Widhalm's death Friday night. "We're setting up for grief counselors for Monday," he said. Culbreth said students have begun talking about his death on Twitter and what he meant to them. "When you get that news, everything just stops," Culbreth said. "You realize that life is precious. He's a young man getting ready to graduate, and it's a tragic loss." "My heart just breaks for the family and for his teachers and his friends," Culbreth said. "It's a sad time right now for the (Pine Forest) Trojan family." Widhalm was originally from New Jersey and moved to North Carolina in 2006, his online career academy portfolio said. At Pine Forest, he was a distance runner on the track team his freshman and sophomore years. His coach, Terry Wickham, said Widhalm decided not to run last season to concentrate on his studies. "He liked running. He was passionate about running," Wickham said. "He was the kind of kid you never had problems with. He was just a real pleasant kid and hard worker." Widhalm was expected to graduate from Pine Forest in the spring. Source :