Burlington High School science teacher Troy Everson is also a volunteer EMT with the Burlington Fire Department and was one of the first responders to the crash that killed three of his students over Memorial Day weekend .
On May 29, the three victims hit a tree in Walworth County and were killed in the crash. They were 17-year-old Jason Davis, 17-year-old Hunter Morby, and 20-year-old Landen Brown, all from Burlington.
"I had to step out of the rescue role and then into the educator role," Everson said.
The teacher remembered panicking when he realized who might be in the car, but said his thoughts quickly changed.
"I heard through conversation the license plate on the vehicle called in and I recognized the address number one, and number two I recognized the name as the parent of one of the boys," Everson said.
"The scene is not about you and you switch the focus from being able to help the person who is in the accident to them,” he also said. “How am I going to help the people that are going to be significantly affected by this."
Since the crash, Everson has been helping his students grieve the boys. Morby and Davis were juniors at Burlington and Brown graduated in 2015.
"We not only lost one of our community's most valued treasures,” he said. “We lost three."
The teacher also worked with the boys after school in theater and knows the families well. He's been their support as well.
"I recognized that that was my role on the Sunday night that the accident happened," he said.
Everson hasn't grieved himself but said he will when the time is right.
"It's proven to my students that life is so fragile," he said.
Burlington High School still has counselors available for students. There is also a hotline number they can call throughout the summer.
