Friends and classmates gathered at sunrise Monday to remember two Chilliwack teenagers who died after a pickup truck plunged into the Fraser River over the weekend.
The group met in the parking lot of Chilliwack Secondary School, where a makeshift memorial of flowers and stones was set up in the spot Grade 12 student Connor Dash used to park his truck.
“It’s sad that he won’t be going to commencement with us and crossing the stage,” friend Lauren Head told CTV News.
A day earlier, Dash and his friend Gerritt Niessen, who graduated last year, were both killed after Dash’s truck somehow veered off Ballam Road and into the frigid waters of the Fraser around 1 a.m.
Both young men were 18 years old, with Dash having just celebrated his birthday.
“My heart dropped, honestly. It just doesn’t feel real,” Brennan Finch said of hearing the news. “It felt like a lie.”
The deaths have left many of their peers struggling to make sense of the tragedy. Another memorial was set up at the riverbank, with two crosses blanketed by one empty jacket.
The cause of the crash hasn’t been confirmed, but the gravel road at the scene was iced over on Monday and Mounties said they’re investigating whether that was a factor.
Officers, firefighters and Chilliwack Search and Rescue members rushed to the scene of the accident early Sunday morning but there was little they could do. Rescuer Doug Fraser said they tried to reach the truck by boat, but the ice was too thick.
“Two of us with dry suits on went into the water and secured a line on the truck so the tow truck could pull it out,” Fraser said.
Dash and Niessen were found dead in the vehicle.
The RCMP is urging anyone who witnessed the crash to contact the Chilliwack detachment at 604-792-4611, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 to remain anonymous.
With a report from CTV Vancouver’s’ Nafeesa Karim
