Whitney Cerak: The Taylor University Crash and Identity Mix-Up

The Whitney Cerak mistaken identity case began with a highway crash in Indiana on April 26, 2006, and a mix-up at the scene that sent one family to a hospital bedside and another to a funeral — both believing the wrong thing. For five weeks, the Van Ryn family of Michigan sat with a comatose young woman they thought was their daughter Laura, while the Cerak family of Michigan grieved and buried a young woman they thought was their daughter Whitney. The two had been switched. Whitney Cerak was the survivor. Laura Van Ryn had died.

The Crash on Interstate 69

At about 8 p.m. on April 26, 2006, a northbound semi-truck driven by Robert F. Spencer crossed the median of Interstate 69 near Marion, Indiana, and struck a southbound Taylor University van head-on.¹ The van was carrying students and staff from the university’s dining services, returning to the Upland campus after helping set up a scholarship banquet in Fort Wayne. The impact peeled open the side of the van and ejected several occupants.²

Five people were killed: students Laura Van Ryn, 22; Laurel Erb, 20; Brad Larson, 22; Elizabeth “Betsy” Smith, 22; and staff member Monica Felver, 53.¹ Eighteen-year-old Whitney Cerak was the only occupant of the van who survived.

How the Identities Were Switched

The mix-up started at the scene. Grant County Coroner Ron Mowery said someone placed Laura Van Ryn’s purse next to the injured Whitney Cerak, and emergency responders recorded the survivor’s identity as Laura.¹ Hospital staff then treated her under that name. The body of Laura Van Ryn was identified as Whitney Cerak based on the personal effects at hand.

Several factors kept the error from being caught. A hospital spokesperson said the two women had “striking similarities in appearance,” including hair color, height, body type, and facial features.³ The survivor’s face was heavily bandaged and swollen. A deputy coroner discouraged Whitney’s sister from viewing the body at the morgue out of concern for her emotional state, which eliminated one of the earliest chances to catch the mistake.⁴ No one checked dental records. The Cerak family was never asked to view the remains before the closed-casket funeral.

Five Weeks With the Wrong Daughter

Believing the survivor was Laura, the Van Ryn family took turns at her bedside at a rehabilitation center in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Laura’s sister Lisa Van Ryn started a blog on April 28, 2006, posting updates on the patient’s recovery.⁵ The blog drew a global readership through email chains and churches. Entries recorded small milestones — the patient feeding herself applesauce, playing Connect Four, undergoing a tracheotomy, and finally speaking. On May 16, the blog announced that “Laura started talking to us last night!” and that her first word was “hi.”⁶

The family noticed oddities and explained them away as effects of brain injury. The patient called Lisa “Carly,” the name of Whitney Cerak’s sister. Her eyes seemed a little more blue than Laura’s. A bellybutton piercing appeared that Laura had never had. Don Van Ryn’s sister-in-law Ruthanne said flatly, “I don’t care what anyone says, that doesn’t look like Laura to me,” but her doubts were attributed to the shock of seeing a badly injured relative.¹

The Cerak family’s weeks ran in the opposite direction. The coroner and a chaplain told them Whitney had died. Four days after the crash, roughly 1,400 people attended a funeral in Gaylord, Michigan, and a body was buried under Whitney’s name.¹ Newell Cerak, Whitney’s father, later said he read the Van Ryn blog “pretty much every day,” following the recovery of a young woman he had no reason to think was his own child.⁶

How the Truth Came Out

The turning point was May 29, 2006, Memorial Day. During a therapy session, the patient wrote the name “Whitney” on a card. Don Van Ryn first tried to rationalize it, wondering if neurons were misfiring and the patient was recalling someone who had sat next to her in the van.⁶ Then the patient told Lisa Van Ryn her name was Whitney and that her parents were “Newell and Colleen.”¹

Dental records confirmed the mistake on May 30, 2006.⁴ That same day, the Van Ryn family posted a final blog entry: “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 Taylor student of hers, Whitney Cerak.”⁵ At 2 a.m., the Grant County Coroner and a chaplain reached the Cerak family. Colleen Cerak and Whitney’s sister Carly drove to the hospital to confirm it was her.¹

Exhuming Laura Van Ryn

Laura’s body had been buried under Whitney’s name in Gaylord, Michigan. In June 2006, the Van Ryn family received permission to exhume the remains.⁷ Cemetery gates were closed that day for privacy. A memorial service for Laura in Grand Rapids drew more than 2,000 people, and she was reburied near family in Grand Rapids Township in a private ceremony.³

Whitney Cerak’s Recovery

Whitney Cerak suffered a traumatic brain injury. The left side of her body was, in her later words, “completely crushed,” and for a time she could only whisper.⁸ After her identification, she went through about six hours of therapy a day.⁹ By July 2006 she was bearing her full weight in a walking boot and took her first unassisted steps.¹⁰ She returned to Taylor University about four months after the crash. Speaking at a 2016 Taylor chapel service, she said, “I felt broken,” and recalled telling her father, “Why me? Why did I survive?” His reply: “Whit, why not you?”¹¹

At the ten-year memorial in April 2016, Whitney spoke of the Van Ryns: “They loved me like I was their daughter because they believed that I was their daughter. Even after I wrote ‘Whitney’ and their world changed and they knew that I wasn’t their daughter, they still treated me like I was their family.”⁸

The Truck Driver’s Prosecution

Robert F. Spencer, the semi-truck driver from Canton Township, Michigan, was charged with reckless homicide and criminal recklessness.¹² On May 29, 2007, he pleaded guilty to five counts of reckless homicide and four counts of criminal recklessness. Jay Circuit Judge Brian Hutchison sentenced him on August 14, 2007, to eight years in prison with four years suspended to probation, a $5,000 fine, 500 hours of community service (100 for each life lost), permanent surrender of his commercial driver’s license, and a requirement to earn a GED within a year of release.¹³ With credit for time already served, Spencer was released on August 29, 2008, after about two years.¹⁴

The Legal and Legislative Aftermath

In October 2006, the Cerak family filed a tort claim against Grant County Coroner Ron Mowery, a step required under Indiana law before suing a government agency. The claim alleged Mowery was “not properly trained and educated” and “failed to exercise reasonable care” in identifying the victims, and sought unspecified damages for emotional trauma.¹² The Van Ryns did not pursue legal action. Don Van Ryn later said, “I just didn’t see what that would gain for us. Over the years, I’ve learned that forgiveness and love is healthier than bitterness and vengeance.”¹

The case also pushed Indiana to change its law. State lawmakers passed SE 0191, requiring elected coroners to complete a 40-hour training course and become certified, and allowing a coroner’s pay to be withheld for failure to complete it. Indiana still does not require coroners to be medical doctors.¹⁵

1
Oprah.com. A Heartbreaking Case of Mistaken Identity
2
Herald-Times Online. 5 From Taylor University Killed in I-69 Crash
3
14News. Crews Remove Wrong Victim From Grave
4
Los Angeles Times. Mistaken Identity After Fatal Crash
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CNET. Blog Tells Story of Life, Death, Mistaken ID
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NBC News. Mistaken Identity
7
Today.com. She Was Mistaken for Dead, Now She’s a New Mom
8
Detroit Free Press. Cerak-VanRyn Mistaken Identity Taylor University
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CBS News. Swapped ID Crash Victim on Rapid Mend
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NBC News. Whitney Cerak Recovery Update
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Petoskey News. Perpetual Ponderings: From Death to Life, an Amazing Change
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StarNewsOnline. Parents to Sue Officials Over Misidentification in Crash
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NBC News. Spencer Sentenced in Taylor University Crash
14
MLive. Michigan Truck Driver Convicted in Taylor University Crash Released
15
Indiana Public Radio. Canada Coroner Misidentification Similar to Indiana Incident That Changed State Law