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Updated Connecticut Post Article on Friday May 15th, 2009 Route 25 Accident
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Updated Article Taken from the Connecticut Post Website Saturday May 16th, 2009 Edition:
Teen who died in Rte. 25 crash called 'gentle giant'
By MariAn Gail Brown and Tony Spinelli
Staff writers
Updated: 05/16/2009 11:47:46 PM EDT
Panayioths "Peter" Tsiknis' cousin was traveling down the same straight stretch of Route 25 in Trumbull as he was when she spotted the place where a car had burst into flames after hitting some trees. Emergency responders, police and firefighters, were already on the scene.
Amber Pagan drove on. Never realizing, at least not for a while, that the victim of the crash was someone she knew -- her younger cousin, about to attend his first prom and graduate from Bullard-Havens Technical School in Bridgeport a few days later.
"It's almost surreal ... unreal. We drove past it," Pagan wrote on her Facebook page. "Who knew? You never know when it's your time. You never know. RIP Pete."
Other friends and relatives of Tsiknis posted online eulogies too.
Minutes before the crash Tsiknis had dropped off his girlfriend at the Stratford ice cream store where she works, his cousin, Robert Curwen Jr., said. Tsiknis was headed to Danbury to the restaurant his sister owns, where he worked after school.
At this point all that accident reconstruction experts know is that Tsiknis, driving a 1998 Lexus ES 300, crossed three lanes of traffic and slammed into a tree. Then his car burst into flames. He died at the scene.
"He was a respectful, gentle giant," Curwen said of Tsiknis. "He was 6-foot-1 and weighed 290 pounds. He was a quiet kind of guy. He was hardworking, responsible, real conscientious, especially about his driving because he didn't go out and get his license right away as soon as he turned 16. I think he waited a bit."
While in high school, Tsiknis always had after-school jobs: in a hardware store, a construction company and in restaurants relatives owned.
The last time Curwen saw Tsiknis was during the holidays when their entire family got together and about 15 or so of the cousins played their annual football game.
Though he was shy by nature, Curwen said his cousin could always "be counted on" to help out with a haunted house Curwen organized at the Thomas Hooker School, which Tsiknis attended as a child. "He'd help me build it and organize the whole thing, throw on a costume and do whatever needed to be done."
Tsiknis' family spent most of the night Friday vainly trying to make sense out of the tragic accident that claimed him.
"He's supposed to be graduating from high school," Curwen said. "The last thing you expect to do is bury your 18-year-old cousin. This is one of those things you can talk and talk to yourself about and you don't really have closure on."
As the investigation continues into Friday's fatal crash that killed Tsiknis, friends and family are mourning the loss of a well-liked 18-year-old Bullard-Havens senior who served as co-captain of the school's baseball team. Many were asking what caused the crash that occurred near exit 9 and the Daniels Farm Road overpass at 5:19 p.m.
On Tsiknis' Myspace and Facebook pages, friends posted memories of Tsiknis, who lived on Little Street, Bridgeport.
At Bullard-Havens, Tsiknis studied carpentry. Along with being a designated hitter, backup catcher and co-captain of the Tigers' baseball team, he also played football and basketball.
"This is absolutely a terrible tragedy," said Tigers coach, Jerry Sobulefsky, of Bridgeport. "He was a great kid; it seemed like he was constantly smiling and always had a great attitude," Sobulefsky said. "He helped anyone and everyone that needed help for any reason, whether it was a ride home or whatever," Sobulefsky said. "He was just a great kid."
Tsiknis, who was Greek, was a member of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Bridgeport.
"I want to express my prayers for the family. May Almighty God give them strength and bless them and support them in this difficult time," said the Rev. Demetrios Recachinas, the church's pastor.
He was born in Norwalk and lived in Bridgeport all his life.
He was a 2005 graduate of Thomas Hooker School in Bridgeport.
Survivors include his mother, Marilyn Curwen, of Bridgeport; his father, Nikolaos Tsiknis of Pennsylvania; two sisters, Laura Provenzano, of Bridgeport, and Michele and her husband George Devilla, of Monroe; and several aunts, uncles and cousins.
The funeral will take place Wednesday at 10 a.m. at the Holy Trinity Church on Park Avenue. Burial will be private and at the convenience of the family.
Friends may call Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Larson Funeral Home, 2496 North Ave., Bridgeport.
The case is under investigation. Witnesses are asked to call State Police Troop G at 696-2500.
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