FRIEND: VICTIMS ARE ALL CAREFUL RUNNERS

We’re learning more about what happened the day of the accident that left one jogger dead and two others injured in Freshwater. Dana Griffin sits down with a close friend of all three women, who shares memories of their friendship. 
Tasha Souza is a close friend, and running partner to all three women. She says, “ Of the four of us, I was the least careful runner. They always had all their reflective gear on and would run really far over to the side and I’d be the one running in the road. And they would watch over me."
That morning, Souza was not with the group for the run that turned their world upside down.
Souza says, “So I got a call saying your friends have been hit and you need to go to the hospital, and so I called Jessi's husband, Matt and he says: Oh you're alive and then he knew, he knew it was Suzie. "

Suzie was the most cautious of the women, Tasha says; Always full of life, and always smiling. She taught geology at Humboldt State University, yet her lessons went outside of the classroom.
"I learned a lot form her about parenting, about the weather."-  Souza

The three friends all shared a love for running, and teaching. They’re all members of the 6 Rivers Running Club.

Jessi is a Mistwood Montessori preschool teacher. She’s also a planner for the Humboldt Redwoods Marathon.
Terri teaches and heads the Redwood Coast Montessori.
The women are slowly recovering from the collision. Both have broken legs, scrapes and bruises.
Tasha has been in and out of the hospital; providing help for her friends who’ve always had her back.
She’s now preparing to give a speech about Suzanne at Saturday’s service in freshwater.
Terri has been moved to a rehabilitation center. They hope Jessi will follow. There's no word on if the women will be able to return to marathon running anytime soon but friends are hopeful.