Over 200 gather to mourn accident victim

Over 200 people processed in almost complete silence down Locust Walk to College Green last night, gathering to remember College junior and Sigma Alpha Epsilon brother Justin Koppel. "It's not the candles that matter," one person said, as gusts of wind struck down many of the small flames. Assembling on the terrace steps in front of the Peace Symbol shortly after 8:30 p.m., SAE President and College junior Joe Ayoob called the hour-long vigil a "great testament to Justin." Koppel was killed in a head-on car collision over Spring Break, when the car he was driving was struck by another vehicle in the Florida Keys. The incident claimed a total of three lives. For the several speakers at the Peace Symbol, the vigil was a way to begin dealing with the tragic accident and the sudden loss of a friend. "This is just wrong," College senior and SAE brother Joshua Blatt said. "He was 20 years old. He should have lived longer. He should still be here. "It's really hard to make sense of the whole thing -- it's a random, senseless event, and we all suffer with the loss," said Jonathan Foster, who is Koppel's cousin and a Wharton graduate student. "As people say, we have to continue on with our lives and think about what he gave to us," he added. "It's the only good thing I can see that came from the whole tragedy." Although much of evening was filled with sadness, Jordan Foster retold several humorous anecdotes from Koppel's youth. In one story, Jordan Foster, a University alumnus and Koppel's cousin, recalled the time he had to teach an 11-year-old Koppel all about "girls." But in the end, even Foster said he had trouble believing his cousin was gone, adding he expected Koppel to come "out of the bushes in any moment" and say "just kidding." "I haven't cried yet because Justin was bigger than life," he said. "Frankly it seems like a dream -- a really bad dream." A memorial service for Koppel will be held on April 13 in Bodek Lounge in Houston Hall at 6 p.m. Sylvia and Richard Koppel, Justin Koppel's parents, are scheduled to attend.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.