The teenager who died Monday afternoon in a motorcycle crash was identified by police as a La Center High School student.
Cameron Kewitz, an 18-year-old from Woodland, died in a single-vehicle crash in the Amboy area, east of the Cedar Creek Grist Mill. Kewitz was riding the motorcycle west on Northeast Cedar Creek Road when he lost control and the bike laid down, said Clark County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Fred Neiman.
The motorcycle left the roadway and Kewitz struck an embankment, Neiman said.
There were no witnesses to the crash, but investigators say speeding too fast for the conditions is an apparent cause. Drugs and alcohol were not believed to be involved; the investigation is ongoing.
Kewitz was a senior at La Center High School, and he played on the Wildcats’ football team in his freshman and sophomore years. He later dropped the sport to become a fire cadet with Clark County Fire & Rescue.
Principal Carol Patton said she and many others share fond memories of Kewitz’s character.
“His (fire) chiefs thought highly of him,” Patton said. “He was a very kind young man, and he will be greatly missed.”
Matt Cooke, the district’s athletic director, taught Kewitz math for two years and coached him during his time with the football team. He remembers Kewitz as a humble, respectful student with a big smile, the kind who set a good example for his peers.
Cooke said he’s lost a few students over the years, but this one hits particularly hard.
“I mean, it shouldn’t happen to any kid, but especially a kid like him,” Cooke said. “He was a gentle soul. You could just tell that about him when he got older. He was a very caring guy.”
Kewitz was in his second year as a fire cadet, said Tim Dawdy, the fire agency’s spokesman. As part of the high school program, Kewitz spent a few hours every day at the fire station, studying in a classroom-type setting while also doing fire-based training and observing the agency’s response to fire and medical calls, Dawdy said.
Dawdy explained that the program is very competitive and all of the cadets are motivated, above-average students.
“To make it to the second year is quite an accomplishment,” Dawdy said. “He had worked very hard to get into the position and maintain the position that he was in.”
Aaron Huntington, one of the program coordinators who worked closely with Kewitz, called the cadet a “gentle giant.”
“He was a very large, strong kid, a straight-A student, quiet, reserved, with a big heart,” Huntington said. “He wore a smile all the time, never complained and was a very hard worker.”
In the second year of the program, Huntington said, he has a conversation with the cadets about their career aspirations. Though he hadn’t talked to Kewitz yet about his plans after high school, Huntington said he was “definitely one I could see having a career in the fire service.”
He said he and the 31 cadets in the program are planning to help out the Kewitz family as best they can — by making meals, doing yard work, or however else they can lend a hand.
“The cadet family is no different than the fire service family,” Huntington said. “We are a family.”
Though class won’t resume at La Center High School until Monday morning, the district has arranged for counselors to be on campus to help students, staff and faculty from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Patton said. They will also be available Monday.
“If you want to come in and talk to the counselors or just celebrate Cameron’s life, we’ll be there,” Patton said.
