PORT ANGELES — Peninsula College Foundation has raised about $2,500 in donations for the families of two Chinese students who died in a Dec. 12 car wreck and a third who was seriously injured.
The families — including extended family — traveled from China for private memorial services and to make arrangement to take the cremated remains of the students home. The third student’s family also flew over to take him home for the Christmas break.
“The donations keep rolling in,” said Mary Hunchberger, executive director of the Peninsula College Foundation, who is collecting the funds.
Community generosity
“The college community as well as the larger community has been really generous.
“We, of course, are still accepting donations to help these families.
“It wasn’t just the moms and dads that came over — it was quite a financial burden for them.
“But I can’t imagine if it were my son doing anything less.”
Hunchberger said that travel expenses alone — not including any funeral or other arrangements — cost the three families upwards of $30,000.
“You have to imagine purchasing several tickets at the very last second possible to go halfway around the world,” she said.
“It was quite expensive.”
Chi-Kan Cheung, a 21-year-old man from Hong Kong, was driving a Ford Escort, traveling west on U.S. Highway 101 Morse Creek curve east of Port Angeles, the night of the crash.
His car crossed the centerline at 10:04 p.m., spun and hit a Ford Focus driven by a Sequim man, who was traveling east. Cheung was apparently traveling too fast, the State Patrol said.
Both Cheung and Duo Li, a 20-year-old woman from Nanning, China, who was riding in the back seat, were pronounced dead at the scene of the wreck.
Ho P. Ng, a 20-year-old man who was a passenger in the Escort, suffered rib and chest injuries in the crash.
Hunchberger said Ng has returned to Peninsula College for the semester.
Also injured were the driver of the Focus, Douglas L. Krocker, 43, of Sequim, and his wife, Cherie A. Krocker, 44. Both were taken to Olympic Medical Center. They were treated and discharged the night of the wreck.
Both Cheung and Li were second-year students pursuing associate degrees.
During the visits, the families spoke with college representatives, State Patrol and held private ceremonies to honor the students, Hunchberger said.
“The flowers they put up on the side of the road I notice continue to just get bigger even almost a month later,” she said.
Tax deductible donations can be sent to the Peninsula College Foundation’s Cheung/Li Memorial Fund, 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd., Port Angeles, WA 98382.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige. dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
