Deadly Surrey bus stop crash is 2nd car tragedy for stepfather
The stepfather of Evan Archibald, the 22-year-old who died after he was hit by a car at a bus stop in Surrey, B.C., says he's now reliving his other son's deadly car accident 12 years ago.
"To have lightning strike twice," said a tearful Greg Drew, "Now our family's having to go through this again."
Archibald died on Wednesday, after a 17-year-old girl struck him while he was waiting at a bus stop to go to work.
It's the second heart-wrenching loss for Drew — his son Jason Drew was 17-years-old when he died from a car accident in 2003.
"He was a great kid, he just had a passion to go fast," he said.
The shock of the 2003 death led Drew to share his experience at conferences and schools across the country for the past 10 years, cautioning drivers to be safe.
Drew says Archibald's mother was his "rock" as he grieved his son's death.
"Now my rock is suffering the way I am. Hopefully I can be there for her and be her rock," said Drew.
"I'm still numb right now myself. I go through my ups and downs and try to tell people to get used to it, this is what it's going to be like for a long time."
Drew said Archibald was "a good kid" who is "hugely, hugely missed by everybody."
He said he wants drivers to know the pain inflicted by a crash can ripple through entire communities.
"Slow down. You don't have to be in a rush to be anywhere," he said. "It's all preventable if we just back off a little bit."
Drew said he'll continue to spread his message, in case he can get through to even a single driver and prevent tragedies like those he's experienced.
"Dead kid syndrome is a life-long sentence, and I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy."
