Grief-stricken communities mourn deaths of 2 teens
Communities in central New Brunswick are in mourning the day after a single-vehicle crash that killed two teenagers and sent another one to hospital.
Police say the vehicle left Taxis River Road near Boiestown and hit a tree shortly before 6 a.m. Sunday.
The driver, 17-year-old Harley Estey of Boiestown, and a passenger, 14-year-old Aurora Storey of Doaktown, died at the scene.
The teenagers leave behind parents and siblings.
"She was an all-around joy to have in the family," said Gail Ross, Aurora's great aunt.
"She was a vibrant part of it, and we all loved her very, very much. And she certainly will be missed and never, never, never forgotten."
Ross said Aurora was mature for her age, an avid dancer, played sports and would often head down to the public library where her great aunt works.
"She was very outspoken, what she believed in, she was very fierce about it," Ross said. "She spoke her mind, you knew where you stood with her, and that's a great thing."
The other passenger, an 18-year-old woman from Blissfield, was hospitalized but is considered to be in stable condition.
The crash happened right outside Kimberley Munn's home. She said the vehicle came to a rest near her mailbox.
"It'll affect us right here for the rest of our lives," she told CBC News on Monday. "Every time I look out the window I'll see that. Every time."
The news stung the small, rural communities, which are located within 30-kilometre stretch of Route 8. Boiestown merged into the rural community of Upper Miramichi in 2008.
Upper Miramichi Mayor Douglas Munn said first responders who were at the scene will be offered grief counselling and he's been inundated with calls from people who want to launch fundraisers.
The mayor previously said it has been a tough week for the community of about 2,500 residents.
He said two people, including a four-year-old child, have died of cancer this week and the loss of two teens, with another in hospital, is devastating for residents.
Police are still investigating the cause of the accident.
