NORWALK — The Norwalk High School community is mourning after a 16-year-old student died in a car crash Tuesday morning.
Logan Lewis was on his way to Norwalk High School, traveling northbound on State Route 61; according to investigators, he traveled to the left of the center and hit a tractor-trailer head-on. Lewis was pronounced dead at the scene.
"That is the worst phone call any parent can get, and I immediately thought about his family and the team because the kids are very close-knit and tight," said Phil Oglesby
Oglesby was Logan's high school track and field coach. He first met Logan in middle school, and as a 12-year-old, he was looking forward to joining Oglesby's team in the 9th grade. A few years later, that dream came true.
"He picked pole vaulting, which is arguably the most difficult event you can pick in track and field because it takes agility, strength, intelligence and dedication. You have to be fearless because it's a difficult sport, and he took it on. I'm not surprised because he excelled in middle school and again in high school," said Oglesby.
His former teammate Carson Bauman said Logan was outgoing, and they all looked forward to seeing him at practice.
"His personality he brought to practice, he was always happy, he fit in with the pole vaulters and the whole team, really," said Bauman.
Bauman said he's been thinking about his favorite memories of Logan for the last few days.
"My favorite memory would have to be the practices where he didn't know what he was doing and questioning if he should do it or not. And I would always tell him, 'you got to stick with it; you have something special,'" said Bauman.
Oglesby said Logan was preparing for the next track season to get in shape to join the Marines after graduation and follow in his family's footsteps.
"When I have these visions of Logan, I see his smile and how he was soft-spoken. He always kind of did his own thing, and he worked hard," said Oglesby.
Oglesby said the cross country and track team have been taking the news of Logan's death hard.
"It's affected them hard to be expected because they spend so much time with each other. Our track conditioning starts in November and goes all the way until June. So, these kids are with each other day in and day out, and the moments they enjoy are the down times and the social aspect of the sport. I think people are thinking about Logan and about those good times and happy times the most," said Oglesby.
Oglesby said they plan to keep his spirit alive through track and field.
"When we go into track season, his presence is going to be there, and I plan to take it on and make sure his name is not forgotten," said Oglesby.
A memorial service for Logan will be at Norwalk High School on Saturday from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
His family is asking for the community to donate what they can to their GoFundMe page. The money will go towards funeral expenses and helping them say goodbye to Logan. If you would like to donate, click here.
