Vermont Business Magazine The Burlington-based Howard Center released the following media statement Monday afternoon related to the tragic deaths of the five Vermont teens on Interstate 89 in a late-night incident October 8 in Williston. The alleged driver in the wrong-way crash is 36-year-old Steven Bourgoin of Williston. He was arraigned on five counts of second-degree murder last Friday at the University of Vermont Medical Center, where he is a patient. Published reports indicate that he had entered the emergency department at the hospital earlier Saturday.
Howard Center Statement:
As our community seeks answers to better understand the events leading up to the recent tragic deaths of five Vermont teens, Howard Center would like to share the results of an internal investigation into the tragic multi-fatality crash.
Howard Center conducted a thorough investigation which included interviews with our clinical staff, and a review of our phone and electronic records. The results of this investigation are as follows:
- The individual allegedly responsible for the crash that led to the teenagers’ deaths was not a client of Howard Center prior to the incident.
- We were not contacted to evaluate, assess, or screen this individual on the day of the crash nor at any other time prior to this incident.
- The individual was not referred to Howard Center by any organization.
We understand only too well the depth of emotions that surface when faced with such significant loss and trauma. We at Howard Center continue to hold the families and friends of the victims and of the alleged perpetrator and our entire community in our thoughts. Going forward, we will continue to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation and provide support as needed.
Our Howard Center crisis teams remain available to our community 24/7/365: Mobile Crisis for adults at 802-488-6400 and First Call for children and families at 802-488-7777. Additionally, we have resources listed on our website to help with grief, loss, and tragedy at www.howardcenter.org.
Source: Howard Center 10.17.2016. Howard Center offers life-saving professional crisis and counseling services to children and adults; supportive services to individuals with autism and developmental disabilities who need help with education, employment, and life maintenance skills; counseling and medical services for those struggling with substance use disorders, and intensive interventions and supports for adults with serious and persistent mental health challenges. Last year we helped more than 16,000 people. Howard Center is a funded agency of the United Way of Northwest Vermont.