Devoted mother, little brother died in Oneida crash
Two people who died in an Aug. 15 head-on collision on Oneida Valley Road are being remembered as having been loving, deeply caring and devoted to their families. Both shared a passion for gaming and had a sense of humor, friends said.
Hayden Ernest, 19, of Hilliards, and Jacqueline Rock, 32, of Chicora, were killed in a crash that also injured two passengers, including a 5-year-old boy.
Ernest was an “extroverted introvert“ who loved his family, friends and girlfriend, and planned to go to college, his stepsister, Fantasia Berry, 21, said.
“He loved people,” she said. “I know that. He had a lot of goals at the end of his life.”
A graduate of First Baptist Christian School, her brother worked at New Haven Court and had told her he wanted to travel to Germany. He had asked his sister if she wanted to go with him one day, Berry said.
Berry described her brother as kind, open-minded and funny. He was the kind of person to quickly joke following a judgmental remark, she said.
She recalled how after the death of her brother, a man had approached her to talk about a time when he was alone in their church. The man had said Ernest, then 7, had walked over to him, sat down and smiled.
“That was the kind of character he carried his entire life,” Berry said.
“Everyone tells me he’s the kindest person they ever met,” she continued.
Berry is the oldest of four siblings and said she shared a close bond with her brother.
They would roller skate at Skate Castle, share inside jokes about Marvel movies, go on walks, play video games and “just talk about life,” Berry said.
“This is so unexpected,” Berry said. “I’m kind of at a loss of words. As an oldest sibling you never ever think that this (would happen).”
Rock, who was alone in her car at the time of the accident, leaves behind a husband and four children. According to the fundraiser set up by her sister-in-law, her youngest child is 2 years old, and the oldest is 11.
Rock, a graduate of Butler High School and Butler Community College, was described as creative, artistic and funny.
“She was a wonderful mother of four children,” Rock’s friend, Tanya Piwowarski said. “She was happily married to her husband, Randall. She was dedicated to those children. She had a contagious laugh and a heart of gold.”
The deaths also sparked concerns about the safety of Oneida Valley Road.
Devon Rock, of Concord Township, lost her husband on that same stretch of road in a head-on collision last fall, and was in a coma for four weeks. Her two children, age 12 and 14, were left not knowing if they would even have one parent left, she said.
Following her accident, Devon Rock suffered injuries including a broken back, arm, neck and ribs. Part of her small intestine had to be removed and she had to relearn how to walk.
The car crash is still being investigated, she said.
Devon Rock said something needs to be done to reduce speeding on Oneida Valley Road. The speed limit is posted at 45 mph. She suggested data from PennDOT could help officials address the cause of vehicle accidents along that portion of the road and encourage people to slow down.
She said a lot of accidents involve people inadvertently crossing the yellow line into opposing traffic.
According to Unionville Fire Department chief Mike Pflugh, the number of accidents could be caused by the winding curves and the speed at which people drive down the road, especially on the lower section between Route 68 and Mahood Road. Pflugh said the department responds to roughly 10 to 12 crashes a year on that portion of Oneida Valley Road.
Data from PennDOT shows that 32 accidents occurred on Oneida Valley Road last year in Butler County.
“Since my accident, three more Moniteau (School District) families will have to start this school year without their parent, because of an accident on (Oneida Valley Road),” Devon Rock said. “The whole community feels the loss. And there just has to be something that can be done, so no more families and our communities have to live without someone they love.”
“I am truly blessed with the time I had with my husband, but him leaving us was still way too soon. I think about it every day as I pass the scorched pavement where our accident happened, and I see the new marks where more lives have been lost,” she said.
