A school community in Georgia is struggling to recover after one of its football stars was killed in a car accident that hospitalized his brother and sister.
Hundreds of people attended a candlelight vigil at Fannin Country High School after 17-year-old John Holsonback was fatally injured while riding with four of his five siblings.
The family who run a flooring business in Blue Ridge are believed to have been going on vacation when their car was hit by a truck outside their hometown of Epworth.
Teammates and coaching staff from the Fannin County Rebels football team served as honorary pallbearers for John, and the school paid tribute to the family with a Facebook post that read: ‘Yesterday. Today. Every day. We are Fannin.’
John Holsonback, 17, was a star on the high school football team in Blue Ridge and treasurer of Maple Grove Baptist Church.
Juan with his siblings Ana, Isabel, Sara, Lucas and Benjamín. Four of the five were in the car at the time of the fatal truck accident on April 1.
Brothers John and Luke in an awards photo posted by their high school
“We came together as a school and as a community,” wrote teacher Joe Breeden.
‘People shared memories and stories of a fine young man.
‘This family has suffered a terrible loss. Unspeakable. Piercing.
“They have instilled faith and values in their children for as long as anyone who spoke at tonight’s meeting can remember.”
John’s sister, Sarah, and brother, Benjamin, were taken to an Augusta hospital, where they spent three days before being released following the April 1 accident.
Sarah and her brother Luke attend the dead boy’s school, where their mother Melissa is on the staff.
More than $56,000 has been raised for the family by a gofundme appeal filed April 2 by family friend Jessica Grostic.
“Tragedy struck the Holsonback family when five out of six children suffered a devastating truck accident while out of town,” he wrote.
‘Sadly, one of the children, a third year student at FCHS, did not survive. Two other children are currently in stable condition and receiving treatment at an Augusta hospital.
“Your help is urgently needed to help the family with their son John’s funeral expenses, as well as medical and travel expenses.”
Two days later, he reported that Benjamin and Sarah were in stable condition and that parents Melissa and Mark wanted to “thank everyone for the prayers and support of our amazing community.”
John Harrison, who runs a rival local flooring company, paid tribute to the “wonderful family” who had suffered the tragedy.
The young athlete was described as an “excellent young man” by one of his teachers.
“If anyone deserves help, it’s this family, and this family needs our help right now,” he wrote on Facebook.
‘Our business, the flooring industry, is a close group of competing store owners, sales representatives, manufacturers and distributors.
“But regardless of our position in the sector, we are really one big family.”
John’s brothers were released from the hospital on April 6, and Benjamin recovered enough to serve as a pallbearer at his brother’s funeral on April 11.