‘You will never be forgotten’: Devastated school students gather to mourn the loss of their friends at car crash site
BUXTON, SYDNEY: The close knit-town of Buxton suffered a traumatic heart-break when five teenagers of the town died in a fiery car crash in the southwest of Sydney on Tuesday, September 6, when a Ute smashed into a tree. The intensity of the sadness is unbearable for the town citizens especially the students of Picton High School, where all the five victims of the car crash studied for 9 years.
The saddened students of the school silently gathered together to share their grief at the very spot where they lost their five mates. The soul-chilling accident occurred when a Nissan Navara Ute, in which the teens were traveling with the 18-year-old driver, veered off the road and hit a tree near the Wollondilly Shire village of Buxton at about 8 pm. The victims of the car crash are identified as Antonio Desisto, Tyrese Bechard, Summer Williams, Lily Van De Putte, and Gabriella McLennan—all aged between 14 and 16.
ALSO READ
Some came alone, some came with parents, and some came with friends but the sadness and grief on the face of every teen were the same. Children who are too young to even care about life were seen holding the grief no one ever imagine to face. They held each other tight, wiped each other’s tears, and let their silence talk to the souls of their five mates while they sat silently in a circle around the tree, where the Nissan Ute driven by Tyrell Edwards, 18, crashed.
Breaking down in tears, Kiana Apps, 17, remembered her friendship with Summer Williams, 15, and Antonio Desisto. "Antonio was a bit of a reckless kid and a daredevil, but he was always looking to make you smile and always being stupid," she told Daily Mail Australia. "And Summer was just the sweetest girl. She had the biggest attitude and was sassy - it's just so sad. We had so many sleepovers and just ran around the streets together. It just sucks."
Antonio’s best friend, who was in an inconsolable situation, yelled at the media while waiting for their interviews. "Show some respect," the tearful young man yelled before walking off with his mother. Flowers continued to be left at the crash site. One bunch of flowers was inscribed with "You will never be forgotten, gotta love, Caiden," while another had the words "Love the memories. You will be missed."
There was a point of tear where the crowd emptied their heart and there was no tear left to cry. The teens are surely going to move on from this accident but this horrific incident is surely going to leave an indelible mark on their hearts of the teens.
Mourning the death of the teens, the Picton High School released a statement on Wednesday saying, "Our hearts go out to the family and friends of students involved in yesterday's tragic accident. At Picton High, we are prioritizing support for our students as they come to terms with this terrible news. Extra counseling support and alternative arrangements will be in place to help our students through this."
In the latest development of the case, the court has refused the bail of Tyrell Edwards, who was the solo survivor of the terrible car crash. The local police arrested the teen who was a laborer on Wednesday, September 07 and charged him with five counts of dangerous driving causing death. During the investigation, Tyrell reportedly told the investigator that after swerving on road, the lost control over the steering and crashed into the tree. The impact of the crash tore the car into half and left the five teens dead at the scene. Police have reportedly recovered a Snapchat video from his device in which he filmed himself swerving over the road just a few minutes prior to the terrible car crash.