Support pours in for family of 10-year-old North Vancouver boat crash victim
A GoFundMe has been launched to help the parents of a 10-year-old boy who was killed in a tragic boat crash in North Vancouver over the weekend.
Jacqueline Samuda, Cindy Schreyer and Mary-Jane Mehlenbacher are organizing the fundraiser on behalf of Shelley Klassen and Jason Hall, the father of young Lionel Hall.
According to the organizers, the GoFundMe is to support Klassen and Hall as they deal with the “unimaginable loss” of their son.
“Lionel’s life was cut short in a tragic boating accident on the North Shore, on what should have been a fun Saturday afternoon out with his friends,” said the fundraiser. “Lionel was pure joy and a bright light to all who knew him, clever, sweet and incredibly talented athlete.”
GoFundMe
North Vancouver RCMP announced that they received multiple reports on Saturday, June 7, around 6:30 p.m. of a serious collision involving a speedboat and two children on an inflatable tube being towed by another boat.
Frontline RCMP officers, as well as several other first responders, applied life-saving measures to both children at the scene, though one was pronounced deceased at the scene. The second child was taken by airlift in critical condition to a local hospital.
The driver of the speedboat that crashed into the inflatable tube was taken into custody after the crash but has since been released on conditions and a pending court date of Wednesday, Aug. 27.
“Alcohol and speed may have been a factor in the collision, and as the investigation continues, officers will work to uncover all available evidence pointing to the cause of this collision,” said Corporal Mansoor Sahak, Media Relations Officer for the North Vancouver RCMP, in a release.
GoFundMe
At the time of reporting, the GoFundMe had raised over $49,00 of its $60,000 goal. The funds raised will go towards paying for Lionel’s funeral and to help the family with the loss of income while taking time to recover from the tragedy.
“Shelley, a brilliant fashion designer and tireless small business owner, is well known in Vancouver through her fashion boutique. She has dressed local film and television talent at awards shows in Vancouver and around the world. She is a remarkable mother with two beautiful children still with her: Julius, who is about to graduate from high school and start university in the fall, and Abigail, about to start high school in the fall.
“The children are devastated by the loss of their younger brother. Jason, an independent contractor in finance and international trade, is reminding them that they must all live a great life for Lionel.”