After 3 years of her death Whitney Cerak Graduated on Saturday23rd May, 2009. Whitney Cerak who was the student of Taylor University Upland, IN. was wrongly identified as another person, during a van accident some three years ago on 26th April, 2006 when 5 people died in the incident which took place on interstate 69 in Grant County, Indiana. The case of wrong identity made the international news headlines and provoked future legislation in the state of Indiana and Michigan regarding strict guidelines in the identification of bodies by coroners.

Whitney Cerak was identified as Laura Van Ryn by mistake; she was also the student of Taylor University and a fellow student of Whitney Cerak. They both were in the van when that brutal crash happened. The van collided with a semi-trailer, five of the passengers died on the spot leaving six others critically injured. The crash was very severe and the similarities of physical injuries and head trauma, made medical personals make this mistake between Whitney Cerak and Laura Van Ryn. The family of Laura Van Ryn took care of Whitney Cerak believing to be their daughter; the mistake was realized more than five weeks later.

Whitney Cerak joined the University again in the fall of 2006 after full mental and physical. Taylor University held its inauguration Saturday morning, a particularly emotional occasion for one of the graduates and that was Whitney Cerak. The class was consisting of 458 graduates for the year 2009 and Cerak was one of them. Whitney Cerak received her diploma and ovation from the crowd.

Whitney Cerak

Whitney Cerak