SOUTH BEAVER TWP, Beaver County — The lone survivor of a violent two-vehicle crash Saturday that claimed four lives is a 2003 Mars High School graduate.

Daniel DeMarco, 25, of Chippewa Township, Beaver County, was driving his pickup Saturday night when it was hit broadside by a car carrying three young men.

Demarco was taken to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh in critical condition.

His wife, Jessica DeMarco, along with all three occupants of the car, died in the crash.

Those in the car were Louis Young IV, 23, of Pulaski Township and two of his lifelong friends, Joshua Tate, 22, of Beaver Falls and Bryan Atkinson, 23, of Patterson Township.

The three young men had been at a bachelor party for Young and were headed to another social gathering at the time of the crash, according to a published report by one of Young's relatives.

The accident occurred at routes 51 and 168 in South Beaver Township around 11:45 p.m. Saturday.

Daniel DeMarco grew up in the Mars area, having many close friends and family in the area, according to a family friend.

The DeMarcos were going to celebrate their first wedding anniversary Nov. 29.

After DeMarco graduated from Mars High School, he attended Geneva College, where he graduated in 2007. His family later settled in Chippewa Township.

Demarco was very active in high school sports, playing offensive line and linebacker for the Planets football team and was a member of the 2002 team that lost in the WPIAL final to Seton LaSalle, 20-6. He also was a catcher on the varsity baseball team. He later went on to play baseball at Geneva College.

"He's (Daniel) a great kid. He always liked to be involved," Scott Heinauer, Mars athletic director and DeMarco's former varsity football coach.

"He'd always do what you asked him to do. That's the type of kid he was (when he played)."

"It's a shame something like this happened. He probably didn't even see it coming. Hopefully, things will work out, and he will recover," Heinauer added.

"It was a bad accident. Your heart just drops — he lost his wife. You just hope he pulls through it and gets better, and can live a normal life."

Police investigators initially believe the car carrying Young, Atkinson and Tate was headed northbound on Route 51 and smashed into the Demarco's truck.

The DeMarcos were headed home on Route 168 from a friend's house and were crossing Route 51.

Young and his friends apparently had been out celebrating his upcoming wedding scheduled for next week and earlier had left a bachelor party in Cranberry Township.

The three young men had stopped at another friend's home, but investigators were unsure where they were headed when the accident occurred.

Beaver County Deputy Coroner Bill Pasquale said Monday Jessica DeMarco died of a fractured neck, Tate of blunt force trauma to the head, and Young and Atkinson of blunt force trauma to the head and chest.

Pasquale said based on the injuries, investigators believe Young was the driver of vehicle, which most likely was traveling faster than the posted 55 mph.

State police, South Beaver police and Beaver County detectives are continuing to investigate the accident.

South Beaver police Chief Dan McLean said Monday it would be at least three weeks until the final accident report is completed as investigators continue their interviews and plan to do an accident reconstruction.

Jessica DeMarco had been a resident of Ohioville most of her life. She graduated as valedictorian in 2002 from Western Beaver High School and was a 2006 graduate of Geneva College. She was a chemical engineer with Michael Baker Jr. in Moon Township. She will be laid out today and Wednesday at Noll Funeral Home, 333 Third St., Beaver.