Mother of man killed in donation bin remembers 'quirky, silly and kindhearted' son
Kristi Langille says her son, Tyler Laplante, was quirky, silly and kindhearted. He loved the outdoors and rap music.
Laplante was the 20-year-old from Surrey, B.C. who was killed Tuesday when he became trapped in a clothing donation bin near Guildford Town Centre in Surrey.
"What can I tell you about my baby? He liked football and he was really strong," Langille said. "He was really funny. He liked to play jokes and he liked to laugh."
Laplante was always loved by his family, Langille said, but he also struggled with addiction.
"Tyler was loving, caring and giving. He had good morals. He would help anybody, you know? But, of course, as time goes on, addiction takes over."
The bin has been replaced with a memorial Tyler's friends and family carefully crafted with mementos and messages.
Should bins be safer?
Surrey RCMP say Laplante's death appears to be a tragic accident, but they are keeping an open file until the coroner's investigation is completed.
However, he is not the first person in the Lower Mainland to die in a donation bin.
Homeless advocate Anita Hauck was killed last year in Pitt Meadows when she got stuck in such a bin. A woman in Surrey was trapped in one earlier this month but fire crews were able to get her out alive. Another man was rescued alive in New Westminster last year.
"Maybe we can take a look at how these bins are being designed so that people aren't able to get in and put themselves in danger," suggested Union Gospel Mission spokesman Jeremy Hunka.
Making donation bins safer is a cause Langille would like to take up one day, but first, she has to plan her son's funeral.
She started a crowd source page to fly in family from Nova Scotia.
"My son deserves so much more. His dad, I want to fly his dad here. His little brother. I just want him to go out in style, you know?"
Laplante's go-to pose in pictures was a silly face.
The way he made people laugh is what Langille misses most about him.
