Counselors, ministers available to students after double fatal crash near Benson, Minn.

BENSON, Minn. — High school counselors and representatives from the local ministerial association here are available to help students cope with the deaths of two fellow students Wednesday afternoon in a two-vehicle crash near Benson.

Cody DeVaan, 16, of rural DeGraff, and Benjamin Mast, 15, of Benson, were killed when the vehicle in which they were riding collided with a semi truck about 4:30 p.m.

DeVaan and Mast were both ejected from the vehicle and later died at Swift County-Benson Hospital.

Driver, Justin Moist, 17, of rural Benson, was injured in the crash. Moist was airlifted to the North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale, Minn.

The driver of the semi suffered minor injuries and was treated and released.

According to the Swift County Monitor, DeVaan and Mast were sophomores and Moist a junior at Benson High School.

“Last night we had the school open right away,” Superintendent Lee Westrum said today. “The school was open until 9:30 p.m. for kids. By just a rough estimate, there were at times 30 to 50 kids up here. It was just a gathering place for them.”

The school counselor and other staff members were also at the school. “There were a lot of us up here, a lot of adults around,” Westrum said.

The kids started making some memorial posters and participated in therapeutic activities, he added.

“What we have found is that the kids really turn to themselves more than they do to us,” Westrum said. “We are there. We are available. If we need more help, Counseling Associates will help us if we need it. We have also had offers from two other schools to send counselors if we need them.”

All extracurricular activities at Benson High School are cancelled today.

The West Central Tribune in Willmar, Minn., is owned by Forum Communications Co.

The Swift County Monitor-News contributed to this story.

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