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St. Clair high school student dies, 2 other teens injured in crash

"It's just hard for all of us. We're all hurting," said one parent.

ST CLAIR, Mo. — Along a busy two-lane road, three best friends' lives suddenly changed.

"There isn't anything quite as strong as our bond. We are all a family," said 18-year-old Bass Hughes, who recently graduated from St. Clair High School.

The St. Clair High family is hurting.

Students, parents, faculty and staff are mourning 15-year-old freshman Shaun Stanfill.

"Shaun always knew how to make people laugh, always knew how to make people smile and he was just the type of guy you always wanted to be around," said Stanfill's friend, Bass Hughes.

Shaun was a popular and talented member of his school's wrestling and football teams.

Credit: Submitted photo

"He was a small guy, but he hit kids twice his size. He was awesome," Hughes said.

Family members say Thursday afternoon Stanfill and his two buddies, 15-year-old Landen Schmidt and 16-year-old Sam Campbell were riding down Route TT near Aitch Road and heading to the river. 

The Missouri State Highway Patrol said the truck left the roadway, went down an embankment, overturned and hit a utility pole.

Stanfill died instantly.

5 On Your Side was told Campbell suffered a broken neck, a collapsed lung and a severe head injury.

 Schmidt now has a broken arm and cuts as a result of the car crash.

"It's that thing that you don't know will happen, but it does. And it hurts," said 16-year-old Isaac Nunez, another friend of the boys.

Nunez played on St. Clair's football team with Shaun.

"There's no way to expect something like this. No way to prepare for it," said Nunez.

The three boys' heartbroken family members and friends turned the crash site into a memorial.

Shaun's loved ones planted flowers, put up wooden crosses and lit a candle at the site.

The teen's teammates signed a football and laid it at the memorial for no. 46, gone too soon.

"We just want to let everyone know that we're all here for each other," Hughes said.

St. Clair's superintendent said counselors were at the high school on Friday to help students cope.

The crash remains under investigation.

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