Virginia Tech freshman Joshua Lee Shutt passed away on the morning of Oct. 24 in his hometown of Princeton, W.Va., after suffering injuries from a car accident occurring at approximately midnight.
According to family and friends, Shutt is remembered as an active teenager and popular among his peers.
“We’ve been family friends since we were five. He was real close to his parents and his sister and he became close to everyone he talked to,” said Joseph Carter, family friend of Shutt.
Meredith Clay, another friend of Shutt, said his smile was the first thing you would notice about him.
“Josh was always smiling and happy, and he could always make you laugh when you were around him,” she said.
During high school, he was active on the school soccer team, yearbook staff and the newspaper staff at Princeton Senior High School. Carter said that his hobbies included basketball and working on his car.
Carter said that it was not a rare occasion for Shutt to be home, and that he had come home every weekend since school started.
On the night of the accident, Shutt was driving alone in his sister’s car. Carter said officials are still unclear of what happened early Monday morning, but the most logical explanation was that he was speeding.
“He was driving too fast and he hit a ditch. His car turned over, and he was thrown out of the window,” Carter said.
The accident occurred less than a quarter mile from Shutt’s home. Neighbors immediately reported the accident, and he was taken to Princeton Hospital where doctors believed there was a slight probability of surviving with the chance of paralysis, Carter said.
From Princeton Hospital, Shutt was transported by way of helicopter to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.
“Josh was in Princeton Hospital for about an hour. He died seven minutes into the helicopter ride to Roanoke,” Carter said.
Hunter Lupold, a friend of Shutt, created a website that allows friends and family to post messages in his remembrance. The site can be viewed at
www.joshshutt.com.
Mark Owczarski, university spokesmen, said that Shutt’s family has not made a personal request for an on-campus memorial.
