Shin Gil Moon's Passing

The following articles chronicle the death of Shin Gil Moon, the oldest son of Hyo Jin Moon and Nan Sook Hong. Hyo Jin Moon and Nan Sook Hong have five children, three daughters and two sons, of whom Shin Gil is the oldest.

None of the articles mention Shin Gil by name, because of his age at the time of his death, 17. Shin Gil was born December 26, 1987 by the Lunar calendar. Shin Gil's 18th birthday would have fallen on January 25, 2006 on the solar calendar.

On January 1, 2006, Hyo Jin Moon spoke to Unification Church members at Belvedere, Tarrytown, NY about the death of his son Shin Gil in the traffic accident in Massachusetts.

December 28, 2005

A 17-year-old died Wednesday after he lost control of the Mercedes he was driving on Memorial Drive in Cambridge.

NewsCenter 4's Lynn Jolicoeur reported that Massachusetts State Police officers said that a trooper patrolling the area at about 4 a.m. saw the car approaching him at a high rate of speed.

"He made an attempt to catch up to that vehicle and stop that vehicle for the violation. Upon doing so, while they were traveling eastbound, he came upon an accident," Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Mike Fiore said. "According to the radio transmissions, he was making an attempt to catch up to that vehicle. Whether the operator knew he was going to be stopped by police, that's unknown."

The Mercedes crashed after passing under the Longfellow Bridge. The driver was not wearing a seatbelt. His passenger, Richard Le, 19, of Cambridge, was not injured.

"The passenger had been seat belted and escaped with no injuries," Fiore said.

Lee's mother said that her son was friends with the victim from school. The teen's name was not released.

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff
December 29, 2005

CAMBRIDGE -- A 17-year-old Cambridge resident died early yesterday after losing control of the 2001 Mercedes-Benz he was driving as a police cruiser tried to catch up with the speeding car, State Police said.

The crash occurred on Memorial Drive near the Longfellow Bridge and closed the highway for 3 1/2 hours yesterday morning.

The name of the teenager was not released by State Police, who cited an "informal policy" of not identifying crash victims under age 18.

They said the crash occurred around 4 a.m. as the Mercedes-Benz, carrying two teenagers, headed east on Memorial Drive near the Longfellow Bridge.

Police said Trooper Patrick Moynihan was driving west on Memorial Drive, near its intersection with Massachusetts Avenue, around 4 a.m., when he saw a black sedan traveling at high speed in the opposite direction on the road, which runs along the northern bank of the Charles River.

According to police Moynihan turned around, activating his lights and siren, in an effort to catch the speeding car. But when he passed under the Longfellow Bridge, he saw that the car had crashed, police said.

The driver was not wearing a seat belt and was pronounced dead at the scene. His passenger, identified by State Police as 19-year-old Richard Le of Cambridge, was wearing a seat belt and survived without serious injury, police said.

Cambridge school officials said Le is a 2004 graduate of Cambridge Ridge and Latin High School.

At his family's home yesterday in Cambridge, Le's mother said that she was relieved her son had survived but that she was deeply upset at the death of the other youth, whom she described as a longtime friend of her son's. She said she did not know the boy's full name, but that both he and her son had been students at Cambridge's high school.

With reporters present, Le's mother spoke with her son by telephone yesterday while he was at his friend's house. Through her son, the mother of the dead youth declined to comment.

"They are very sad," said Le's mother, who asked that her name not be published out of respect for the teenager's family.

The accident occurred as the Mercedes was heading onto Land Boulevard. Police said the car smashed into the guardrail on the right side of the road, then caromed across the travel lanes before striking the guardrails on the left side. The vehicle rolled over several times before coming to rest on its side. The accident remains under investigation.

Lieutenant Sharon Costine, chief spokeswoman for the State Police, said the encounter "never got to the level where this was a long, drawn-out pursuit."

"It happened so quickly . . . the trooper never even caught up with" the Mercedes, she said.

Costine estimated that 20 to 30 seconds elapsed from the time Moynihan spotted the speeding car until he came upon the wreckage.

Costine said the teenager was driving after his license had been suspended, but she would not disclose the infractions that led the Registry of Motor Vehicles to sanction him.

Costine provided a copy of the department's written pursuit policy, which includes the directive that "in certain circumstances, the most intelligent course of action may be to not pursue or to abandon pursuit."

The policy also requires troopers to notify superiors that they have initiated a pursuit and to use emergency lights and sirens, except when communicating over the radio, and to describe the location to other troopers "in clear, concise [language] as unemotional as possible."

Moynihan reported by radio that he had initiated a search for a speeding car, State Police said.

Jhn R. Ellement can be reached at ellement@globe.com.

By Chris Helms/ Cambridge Chronicle Staff
December 29, 2005

The main roads around MIT claimed two lives within 48 hours this week.

A Boston woman died Monday after being struck by a vehicle as she walked across Mass. Ave.

Then yesterday morning, a 17-year-old from Cambridge driving a black Mercedes died after being partially ejected from his car in a Memorial Drive crash.

State Police said a trooper saw a Mercedes speeding eastbound around 4 a.m. Wednesday. The trooper gave chase. The driver of the Mercedes lost control of the vehicle around the Longfellow Bridge. The car slammed into the right guardrail, went back across two lanes of traffic and hit the left guardrail, according to Trooper Veronica Dalton.

The driver wasn't wearing a seatbelt. Richard Le, 19, also of Cambridge, the passenger who was wearing his seatbelt, was not injured. Le graduated from Cambridge Rindge and Latin School in 2004. The driver's name will not be released because of his age, State Police said.

Memorial Drive was closed to eastbound traffic for nearly four hours after the wreck while police investigated the scene. . .

Contact Chris Helms at chelms@cnc.com.

By Chris Helms/ Cambridge Chronicle Staff
December 29, 2005

The main roads around MIT claimed two lives within 48 hours this week...

State Police said a trooper saw a Mercedes speeding eastbound around 4 a.m. Wednesday. The trooper gave chase. The driver of the Mercedes lost control of the vehicle around the Longfellow Bridge.

The car slammed into the right guardrail, went back across two lanes of traffic and hit the left guardrail, according to Trooper Veronica Dalton.

The driver wasn't wearing a seatbelt. Richard Le, 19, also of Cambridge, the passenger who was wearing his seatbelt, was not injured. Le graduated from Cambridge Rindge and Latin School in 2004.

The driver's name will not be released because of his age, State Police said. Memorial Drive was closed to eastbound traffic for nearly four hours after the wreck while police investigated the scene...

By Associated Press
December 28, 2005

CAMBRIDGE - A teenager was killed in rollover accident shortly after police tried to stop him for speeding on Memorial Drive early Wednesday, police said. The driver, identified by police only as a 17-year-old male, crashed his car while trying to make a turn beneath the Longfellow Bridge at about 4 a.m.

A passenger, Richard Le, 19, of Cambridge, was not hurt. The accident closed Memorial Drive for several hours. State police Sgt. Mike Fiore said an officer patrolling Memorial Drive saw the car speeding and tried to catch up to it. Moments later, he found it crashed under the Longfellow Bridge, Fiore said. Police said the driver had lost control of the car, struck a guardrail on the right side of the highway, veered across both lanes and struck the left guardrail, which caused the car to roll over.

The driver, who was not wearing a seat belt, was partially thrown from the car. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to state police Sgt. Roy Minnehan. Eastbound lanes were reopened shortly after 7:30 a.m.

By Sarah Andrews/ Chronicle Staff
January 5, 2006

Students, teachers and administrators at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School held a moment of remembrance Tuesday morning in honor of a 17-year-old boy who was killed last Wednesday in a car accident on Memorial Drive. Justin Martin, schools spokesman, said the school took time to honor the CRLS student at the beginning of the school day. Principal Sybil Knight said a few words about the student, and counselors were offered to all grieving students and staff members.

Knight did not return calls to the Chronicle before deadline, and Martin did not release the teenager's identity. His name is still unknown. State Police who investigated the crash said they will not release the names of victims under the age of 18, unless there is an arrest involved. In Massachusetts, people age 17 or older can be tried as an adult. No obituary notices for the driver, who was not wearing a seatbelt, had been issued as of Tuesday. Martin said the school expects there will be a memorial service later this week, but he is still waiting for details.

The accident occurred last Wednesday at 4 a.m. on Memorial Drive. The driver was accompanied by Richard Le, 19, a 2004 graduate of CRLS, who was wearing a seatbelt and was not injured. Le also could not be reached before the Chronicle's deadline.

According to State Police, the driver was speeding down Memorial Drive in a black Mercedes Benz when he was spotted by a trooper. The trooper followed, but by the time he caught up with the car it had crashed into the right guardrail near the Longfellow Bridge, veered across the road and crashed into the left guardrail. Sergeant Scott Range said medical examinations were not yet completed and gave no factor other than speed in the cause of the accident.

Last week, the Boston Globe cited Lt. Sharon Costine as saying that the driver's license had been suspended at the time of the accident, though Range would not confirm this, citing legal reasons.

Contact Sarah Andrews at sandrews@cnc.com.

January 11, 2006

Fyi

Shin Gil was cremated and his ashes were sprinkled by his mum in the Charles River two days after his accidental death. His mum did not want a fight over the body. Tonight there will be a farewell ceremony at Belvedere to wish him off to Korea where there will be a Seung Hwa ceremony. There will not be a body, but some blood has been obtained from the car and apparently that is sufficient to give his spirit a base to relate to in the PW.

The car was very bady damaged. Apparently it hit a side barrier at speed, bounced off and hit the center barrier and then went back across the road and hit a bridge embankment head on.

I know the above may be a bit odd to some here, but I think out of respect we can reflect on a young life needlessly lost.

Best wishes,

Michael