Two Syracuse University students were killed and two students were hospitalized Tuesday after a one-car accident on Route 12 in Oneida County, said Capt. Richard Antanavige of the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office.

Wang Young and Oh Saem, both 19, were pronounced dead at about 9:20 p.m. when the Sheriff’s Office responded to the accident in the Town of Paris, just south of Utica. The driver of the vehicle, Chang Hyunsung, and rear seat passenger, Shin Chaewan, both 19 and first-year students in the School of Architecture, sustained non-life threatening injuries and were taken to St. Elisabeth Hospital in Utica, Antanavige said.

The students were traveling north bound on Rt. 12 when their 2009 Hyundai Elantra left the highway hitting an embankment, then a series of trees, before coming to a stop in an open field, Antanavige said. The students were rounding a sharp curve when it is believed the driver lost control of the vehicle, he said. All four had left Syracuse earlier Tuesday evening and were traveling to the New York City area, he said.

Alcohol is not believed to be a factor in the accident, Antanavige said.

Wang, of Norwood, N.J., and Oh, of Hauppauge, N.Y., were first-year students in the School of Architecture.

The Oneida Sheriff’s Office Accident Reconstruction Unit and Identification Unit assisted at the scene, Antavanige said. New York State Police, Paris Hill and Clayville Fire departments also assisted.

The accident remains under investigation by the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, Antanavige said.

Mary Kate O’Brien, director of communications for the School of Architecture, said the school will offer support to the residence halls where the students lived, as well as their classmates.

‘We’re kind of shocked here. It’s a very close-knit school, so whenever something like this happens, and particularly this time of year and because of the nature of the community here, it’s particularly sad,’ O’Brien said. ‘We really feel so sorry for the families that they’re experiencing this tragedy.’

First-year architecture students will gather at 10:35 a.m. Monday in Slocum Auditorium with their faculty, then meet in smaller groups for support, said Kevin Morrow, university spokesman, in an e-mail. Upperclassmen from the school will join them at 11:45 a.m. for support as well.

Hendricks Chapel Interim Dean Kelly Sprinkle will coordinate a community gathering tentatively scheduled for Monday at 4 p.m., which will include a time for reflection and an opportunity to leave written remembrances to be shared with the students’ families.

The university will remain connected to the families of the survivors and will work to identify when they expect to return and what their needs may be, Morrow said. Ongoing support will be coordinated through the Office of Residence Life.

SU Chancellor Nancy Cantor notified the university community of the incident via e-mail Wednesday morning. Although classes aren’t in session during Thanksgiving break, Cantor said the university will provide counseling and support to those who need it.

A date for a memorial service has not been set yet, said Thomas Wolfe, senior vice president and dean of Student Affairs. Wolfe said he believes all four students were friends.

Check back at dailyorange.com for more updates.

blbump@syr.edu

Published on November 29, 2009 at 12:00 pm