Three Carleton students killed in crash on icy highway near Northfield

Three Carleton College students were killed Friday on the edge of Northfield when the SUV they were riding in spun on icy Hwy. 3 and was broadsided by an oncoming semitrailer truck.

Killed were James P. Adams, 20, of St. Paul; Paxton M. Harvieux, 21, of Stillwater, and Michael D. Goodgame, 20, of Westport, Conn.

William Sparks, 20, of Evanston, Ill., who was driving the 1997 Toyota 4Runner, and Conor J. Eckert, 19, of Seattle, who are also Carleton students, were seriously injured, according to the State Patrol.

The accident happened about 3 p.m. Friday. All were wearing seat belts, the State Patrol said, and no alcohol was detected.

Carleton College officials said Adams was a chemistry major, Harvieux was a computer science major and Goodgame was majoring in political science.

The three were members of the school's Ultimate Frisbee team that finished third in the country in Division 1 competition last year, according to Eric Sieger, media relations director for the Northfield school. Sieger said it was unknown where they were going or why the five were in the SUV together.

It's possible the three Frisbee players were headed to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to fly to a tournament at Stanford University in California, but Sieger said he couldn't be sure of that.

The driver of the truck, Danny Terry, 56, of Pioneer, Tenn., was uninjured.

The three student fatalities in a single day are the most anyone at Carleton can recall, Sieger added.

"We offer our most heartfelt thoughts and prayers to the families and friends of James, Michael and Paxton, and we hope and pray for the full recovery of Will and Conor," Carleton President Steven G. Poskanzer said in a statement released on campus Friday evening. "The collective Carleton soul aches for the loss of these three young men. Right now, we need to focus all our love and compassion on supporting the families and friends of all these young men, along with everyone in our community who cares for them."

Sieger said a private vigil is expected to be held on the campus of 2,000 students Saturday.

"It's a real blow to the campus to lose three young men like this, who were so talented, so bright, and had their whole future ahead of them," Sieger said. The Carleton community is extremely close-knit, Sieger added. Almost all the students live in dormitories.

Adams was a graduate of St. Paul Academy and a member of Carleton's investment club. Harvieux, a former Stillwater High School athlete, had also played basketball and run track at Carleton. Goodgame was a writer for the school newspaper and had been a member of the school's swimming and diving team. All three were juniors.

Sparks is an economics major and on the swim team, also a junior, and Eckert, a freshman, had not declared a major. They were listed in stable condition Friday night, according to a news release from the college.

Bill McAuliffe • 612-673-7646