Family and friends are gathering at the scene of a Brampton crash that left a 17-year-old boy dead.
The driver was headed southbound on McVeen Drive near Da Vinci Avenue when he apparently lost control of his vehicle, went into a ditch, and struck some trees shortly after 11 p.m. on Monday night.
The 17-year-old passenger of the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver, a boy of the same age, was taken to a trauma centre with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Police later confirmed that he has been charged with criminal negligence causing death in connection with the collision.
Both occupants of the vehicle are residents of Brampton.
Family and friends have identified the boy who died as Jai Sidhu.
At the vigil Tuesday night, friends described Sidhu as “the life of the party” and “one of those people you just fall in love with.”
“If he ever saw anyone sad, he would do the most to cheer them up,” one friend said. “He would make everyone laugh.”
At the vigil, people lit candles, shared memories and left flowers by the roadside.
Friends also said they were showing support for the injured driver and wished him a speedy recovery.
Rana Sidhu, who said he is the uncle of the victim, told reporters at the scene earlier in the day that he spoke to his nephew minutes before the crash.
He said his nephew told him he would be home in 10 minutes but he did not arrive.
“I thought maybe his phone died,” the victim's uncle said tearfully.
At around 1 a.m., he got a call from his brother informing him about the crash.
Tandeep Banga, who said he is a friend of both Sidhu and the driver, described the victim as “one-of-a-kind.”
“He would always do anything to put a smile on someone’s face,” Banga told CP24 at the scene of the crash on Tuesday. “(If) you know his family, show as much support as you can because his family needs it the most right now.”
