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August 1, 2001Depot accident claims another-Margaret Koronka, 29, succumbs to injuries; organs of other victim to be donatedBy DAN SANDERSONRecord-Eagle staff writer JOHANNESBURG - A second person has died from injuries sustained Sunday when a 38-year-old Johannesburg woman crashed her car into the Old Depot Restaurant. Margaret Koronka, 29, of Johannesburg, died Tuesday at Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids. She was among 10 injured in the accident. On Monday, 4-year-old Teagan Ferlaak of Gaylord died after being taken off of life support when tests showed no brain activity or blood flow to her brain. "At that point, it was clear that she was not going to get any better," said her father, John "Chip" Ferlaak, who also was injured in the accident and is in fair condition at Hurley Medical Center in Flint. The crash occurred around noon Sunday when the Johannesburg woman, whom police have yet to identify, failed to follow a curve on M-32. Her white Grand Prix crashed through the building. She was in stable condition Tuesday at Otsego Memorial Hospital. "There was nothing to prepare you for it," John Ferlaak said from his hospital bed Tuesday. "It was like an explosion." Ferlaak is recovering from broken ribs and has a chest tube to prevent the onset of pneumonia. When the crash occurred Ferlaak told his wife, Jody, he thought he was having a heart attack because of the pain. "I had just taken a bite of food and then I grabbed my chest and said, 'Jody, I'm having a heart attack. I'm having a heart attack,'" he said. The crash also injured his 6-month-old daughter Wyndham, his 2-year-old son Brock and his wife. She was treated Sunday at Otsego Memorial Hospital and released. Brock was expected to be released Tuesday from Hurley Medical Center in Flint. Wyndham is in critical but stable condition at the Flint hospital. The family decided to donate the organs from Teagan, including her heart valves and cataracts. Her heart was slated to go to a boy in North Carolina, but the transplant team did not have enough time to remove the organ and get it to the boy. Ferlaak said he is unable to see Wyndham because he is confined to his room and can only move from his bed to a chair. "It hurts so bad, so I just go from one to the other," he said. Ferlaak, the assistant golf pro at the Gaylord Country Club, has lived in Gaylord for three years. His family was eating at the Old Depot for the first time Sunday following services at the Gaylord Evangelical Free Church. Police said Tuesday they are still interviewing witnesses and investigating the crash. Mike Rola, assistant prosecutor for Otsego County, said his office is waiting for additional information and to see the extent of the injuries before releasing the name of the driver. Those still hospitalized include Ronald Koronka, 29, who was in serious condition Tuesday at Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids, and Brittany Koronka, 6, who was in fair condition. Len Pohutsky, owner of the restaurant, was cleaning up Tuesday and waiting for a contractor to inspect the building. "The insurance adjuster said it was repairable, but I'm not so sure," he said. A prayer vigil for the crash victims was held at the Johannesburg Christian Church Monday night. Don Webster, general manager and golf pro at the Gaylord Country Club, said donations are being taken for the Ferlaak family. "It's been incredible and it's been overwhelming to a point," John Ferlaak said of the community support. "I guess that is what makes Gaylord the great place that it is to live." Dan Sanderson is the reporter for Otsego, Crawford and Cheboygan counties. He can be reached at (517) 731-9684, or at dansand@freeway.net |