Special Bench in Memory of Harper Stantz at Recreation Park
A bright yellow bench will be installed at Binghamton's Recreation Park to honor Harper Stantz, who died shortly after playing tennis there.
The custom-designed bench is to be installed next to the tennis court where the 16-year-old Binghamton High School student had played with her friend, Britney Laserinko.
Stantz and Laserinko were hit by an out-of-control Jeep on Beethoven Street on the afternoon of March 11. They were struck less than two blocks from the park.
Stantz died two days later. Laserinko has been recovering from serious injuries.
The six-foot-long bench will be placed on a concrete pad that was poured on Tuesday. It was paid for using money from a charity golf tournament.
The bench will sit on the west side of the tennis courts, next to a recently-planted northern redbud tree.
Patty Stantz says she's pleased the bench will be located in the West Side park. She said: "It's gorgeous."
A Harpursville man, 33-year-old Kevin Wilcox, was under the influence of heroin when the vehicle he was driving hit Stantz and Laserinko.
Wilcox was sentenced to 5 to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide in connection with the crash.
Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com
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