A convoy of big rigs roared through Maple Ridge, B.C. Sunday in memory of teen girl whose life was cut tragically short by a traffic collision late last month.
"I can't thank them enough," said grandmother Anita McPherson. "They've been so kind and thoughtful."
Her granddaughter, 16-year-old Annalise Gardner, was a passenger in a Volkswagen hatchback that was travelling north on 248 Avenue when it went off the road and down a steep embankment at around 1:15 a.m. on July 31.
Two 18-year-old men were also taken to hospital as a result of the collision. The driver of the car suffered serious injuries, while the passenger was in critical condition.
Aaron Lewis, who organized the convoy, knows Gardner's father because both work as truck drivers. He remembers the moment he heard the devastating news.
"I was actually at home on the sofa with my daughter and that's when I heard about it," Lewis said. "It just put a lump in a lot people's throats."
Lewis and some other truckers wanted to make a small gesture towards Gardner's family members so that they would know the community stands with them while they grieve.
"All the drivers are just getting together in a show of support from us to a fellow driver and friend and what he's going through right now," Lewis said, "just to show that it's like one big family."
Gardner was an aspiring actor and would have now been in Toronto working on a film.
McPherson said thinking of all the hopes and dreams shattered by the crash is too much for her to bear.
"It's sad, you know, because she had just started her life," she said. "It's terrible."
Maple Ridge Mounties are still investigating the cause of the crash.
With files from CTV Vancouver's Ben Miljure
