As Fleming County Principal Brad Sorrell stood in front of the crowd of students gathered outside the high school Friday afternoon, he acknowledged that, at times like this, he never seems to have the right words to say.

The school was mourning the loss of an 18-year-old student, Eric Baker, who was killed in a car accident Thursday night.

Instead of trying to offer solace through whatever message he could give, Sorrell turned to a greater message and read a passage from Ecclesiastes to the solemn group.

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven, a time to be born, and a time to die…” Sorrell read to the students. “God asks us to accept all those times.”

Sorrell led the students in prayer, as they stood around the flagpole, the flag lowered to half staff.

As the brief memorial ended, Sorrell told the students to watch out for each other.

“Take care of one another, kids, take care of one another,” he said. “God bless you and I’ll see you back here Monday morning.”

As students walked away, some wiped tears from their eyes.

Student Patrick Gallagher, a junior, said he and Baker were friends, and said he felt angry that Baker had died.

“I know you can’t get a friend back,” he said, adding to deal with it the only thing students could do was “look to the Lord.”

“It didn’t matter who you were, he would always hang out with you,” Gallagher said.

Another student, sophomore Sabra Watson, said she did not know Baker very well, but knew him to be a friendly person.

“It’s hard to believe that he’s gone,” she said.

Baker was a passenger in a 1992 Dodge Dynasty driven by 18-year-old Joseph Pruitt when Pruitt struck the rear end of a tractor-trailer Thursday evening. With Baker in the rear passenger seat was a female juvenile. The students were reportedly on their way to the midnight premiere of “Spiderman 3” at the movie theater in Maysville.

The accident occurred at one of Maysville’s busiest intersections, at Kentucky 9 and U.S. 68 around 11:30 p.m. The Maysville Police Department responded initially, with Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement also responding.

The tractor-trailer was operated by David Baker of Chillicothe, Ohio. He was stopped at the red light of Kentucky 9 in the northbound lane, according to information from Officer Larry Farris of Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement, when the accident occurred.

Upon impact, the Dodge Dynasty under rode the trailer of the semi, causing extensive damage to the vehicle and resulting in compartment intrusion, according to Farris. The accident closed the roadway to traffic for more than four hours, from about 11:30 p.m. to 3:40 a.m., according to police.

David Baker was unharmed. Pruitt and the female juvenile were both taken to Meadowview Regional Medical Center where Pruitt was treated for minor injuries and released. The juvenile was admitted in stable condition.

Eric Baker was also transported to the medical facility, where he was pronounced dead.

“Eric was a nice kid, very respectful, had a lot of friends,” said Sorrell Friday morning.

Sorrell said many students were upset by the tragedy, and some went home after hearing the news. A crisis team was in the school to help students deal with the news.

“We’re giving the students the opportunity to grieve … and talk about their feelings,” Sorrell said.

Teacher Minnie McCord had Eric Baker in her career work exchange class.

“He was a good kid,” she said. “Just a really good kid.”

According to the information from Farris, a level 2 safety inspection on the tractor-trailer found it compliant with all federal motor carrier safety regulations, including reflective markings and lighting on the rear of the vehicle.

The collision remains under investigation.

Contact Misty Maynard at misty.maynard@lee.net or 606-564-9091, ext. 274.