Caledonia, Mich. The casket was closed for Whitney Ceraks funeral more than a month ago. Her mother, Colleen, declined to look at the body, battered as it was in a collision between a van and a tractor-trailer.
They wanted to remember her the way she was, said Ceraks grandfather, Emil Frank.
Meanwhile, the family of Laura VanRyn, another victim of the crash, kept vigil by a hospital bed. The severely injured young woman was in a coma for a time, but the familys blog detailed the many small steps she made toward recovery: feeding herself applesauce, playing Connect Four with a therapist.
But as her condition improved, Laura VanRyns family realized they had the wrong woman, and Colleen Cerak realized she had not buried her daughter.
The family of VanRyn, 22, disclosed the mix-up Wednesday on their blog. Our hearts are aching as we have learned that the young woman we have been taking care of over the past five weeks has not been our dear Laura, but instead a fellow university student of hers, Whitney Cerak, they wrote.
The shock was equal but joyous for the family of Cerak, whose funeral drew 1,400 in her hometown of Gaylord, Mich. I still cant get over it. Its like a fairy tale, Frank said.
VanRyn and Cerak, 18, both students at Indianas Taylor University, were in a university van when a truck crossed the median of Interstate 69 and collided with it April 26. Five of the 10 students and staff on board died.
The Grant County, Ind., coroners office apologized for the error Wednesday evening. But the VanRyns, who are from Caledonia, Mich., said their daughter and Cerak bore an uncanny resemblance.
Cerak suffered facial swelling, broken bones and cuts and bruises, and was in a neck brace.
The family said that as the young woman began regaining consciousness at a rehabilitation center in Grand Rapids, Mich., she said things that made them question her identity.
As recently as Monday, the VanRyns reported, While certain things seem to be coming back to her, she still has times where shell say things that dont make much sense.
In a statement, the two families said they took their concerns to hospital officials, and dental records confirmed that the injured woman was Cerak.
Both families understand how this could have happened, said Bruce Rossman, a spokesman for Spectrum Health, which operates the rehab center.
Officials at Taylor University, an evangelical Christian college in Upland, Ind., about 60 miles northeast of Indianapolis, confirmed the case of mistaken identity.
We rejoice with the Ceraks. We grieve with the VanRyns, said Taylor spokesman Jim Garringer. He said the Grant County coroner notified the school of the error.
Coroner Ron Mowery, whose office handled the death investigation, apologized for the mistake. He described an accident scene strewn with purses and wallets and said acquaintances of the students had identified the survivor as VanRyn. No scientific testing was conducted to verify the identifications.
I cant stress enough that we did everything we knew to do under those circumstances, and trusted the same processes and the same policies that we always do, Mowery said. And this tragedy unfolded like we could never have imagined.
A memorial service for VanRyn is scheduled Sunday near Grand Rapids.
