CARROLLTON, Ky. (WDRB) -- It was hard to make out anything beyond the glow of the candles. But in the darkness, a community was mourning.
You can see it in their faces, you can hear it when they speak:
"I knew the Dietz family well ... very well," said Mary Sue Mercer as she fought back tears.
Mercer was among nearly 500 Carrollton residents who stood in the cold Sunday night to honor victims of this week's school bus crash in Carroll County.
Mercer knew the family of 3-year old Ryder Dietz, who was killed along with 3-year-old Caroline Tuttle when their Carroll County Head Start school bus veered off the road, overturned and struck a tree. Other young children on the bus suffered broken bones and skull fractures. All of the victims were under age 6.
That's why 500 people braved the cold, bundled up, and stood close to one another Sunday night in Point Park.
"I am surprised to see all these people," Mercer said. "It's cold, it's cold on the children. But this is Carrollton -- this is how we do things."
William Spence said he knew Caroline's grandfather.
"I didn't know the girls, but my granddaughter went to school with them," Spence said.
The crowd included the first responders who rushed to scene, as well as friends of the victims' families. Many of the first responders declined to be interviewed.
"Everybody in this community, their hearts go out to all these grandparents and parents. It's just something we all need to do," said Spence.
While the injured still recover, the town of 3,800 is also trying to heal.
"We need to just stick together, help our children," said Mercer.
At last check, most of the six children hospitalized had been released.
Copyright 2012 WDRB News. All Rights Reserved.
