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2 sons lost, minutes apart

A father unknowingly passes the scene of one son's fatal accident on the way to the site of his other son's car crash.

By wire services
Published December 9, 2005

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - In a matter of minutes, sheriff's Deputy Andy McDowell was forced to live a parent's worst nightmare - twice

After he was taken to where one of his two sons was killed in a car crash early Wednesday, McDowell was driven past another fatal accident scene. Only later did he learn that the fiery wreck took the life of his only other child.

"You take the most unimaginable hell that a parent could be told and double that," Warren County deputy coroner Dwayne Lawrence said.

Rory McDowell, 23, and Cory McDowell, 21, both died within a few miles of the home they shared with their father in Bowling Green, about 110 miles southwest of Louisville. Their mother, Rose Marie McDowell, also lives in Bowling Green.

Rory McDowell lost control of his van coming out of a curve and the vehicle struck a tree shortly before 1:30 a.m., authorities said. There was no visible sign of alcohol involved, sheriff's Capt. Brent Brown said Thursday.

Andy McDowell told authorities he had been talking with Rory on a cell phone about the time of the crash, Brown said. He said that might have been a factor in the crash, as well as excessive speed on a narrow road.

About 15 minutes after the first crash, Cory McDowell's 1984 Porsche veered off another rural road, went into a spin, struck a tree and burst into flames, authorities said. Kentucky State Police said no cause had been determined in Cory McDowell's crash.

The brothers were about 5 miles apart when they were pronounced dead at the crash sites, Lawrence said.

Both crashes occurred on two-lane, winding roads with elevation changes, but it was unclear what role, if any, road conditions played in the crashes. There was no rain, ice or snow in the area at the time of the accidents. The crashes remained under investigation Thursday.

Authorities said they didn't know whether Cory McDowell was aware his brother had been in a crash.

"It's going to be a mystery," Lawrence said.

Friends and family members said Andy McDowell doted on his sons.

"That's all he talked about was his boys," said sheriff's department Sgt. Tim Meyer. "He lived for his boys."

Stephanie Smith, the brothers' forensics coach at Warren East High School, on Wednesday remembered them as "extremely energetic and creative."

"I'm heartsick," she said. "They were both very funny. Their eyes would just shine with energy and just that little boyish charm they both had."

Christina Layle, Cory and Rory McDowell's cousin, described them as "real giving boys," she said. "They would just give you whatever they had if they didn't need it just to make you smile. "Growing up they were always playing pranks on people. They were always happy and never seemed to run out of energy," she said. "This has been devastating for the family, especially the parents. These were their only two sons."

Rory McDowell had attended a vocational school in Bowling Green and worked for Southern Dog Fence company.

"Rory was one of the sweetest kids - young man, I guess - that you could ever know," said D.J. Cecil, wife of Southern Dog Fence owner Chuck Cecil. "He was like part of the family. You can't describe how much we'll miss him."

Cory McDowell had been an honors student at Western Kentucky University and also worked at an AutoZone auto parts store in Bowling Green.

Johnny Turner, the store's manager, said his staff was in shock.

"Cory was always easy to get along with," Turner said. "The whole situation is really unimaginable."

A funeral for the brothers is scheduled for today.

Information from the Associated Press and the Daily News of Bowling Green, Ky., was used in this report.

[Last modified December 9, 2005, 01:20:12]