Friends mourn loss of Garett Fabel who was killed in motorcycle crash
Garett Fabel was a sweet and funny teen, say friends who were shocked to find out the 17-year-old was killed while riding his motorcycle Thursday night.
Students at Vincent Massey Collegiate spent their final day of classes before March Break wondering what exactly happened to their schoolmate.
Police say Fabel, who was two weeks away from his 18th birthday, suffered severe injuries when he collided with a minivan on Cabana Road just before 10:30 p.m. He was sent to hospital, but later died.
Emily McKay learned about her friend's death Friday morning when she talked to her mom.
"It's really devastating. A lot of us are still in shock," she said. "You see him one day and then you hear about it and you don't see him the next."
McKay described Fabel as a "really laid back and very funny" guy.
'Now he's gone'
Investigators were on scene all night reconstructing the collision, and the road reopened just after 4 a.m. Friday.
Nobody in the minivan, driven by a 46-year-old man, was injured.
Andrew Fawcett started high school with Fabel five years ago. They grew to know each other well. They weren't best friends, but they regularly hung out and talked in the hallways.
"I was devastated when I heard about it," Fawcett said. "Yesterday, I was talking to him and now he's gone."
Fawcett expects he and his fellow students will be struggling with the loss for a long time. Having a week off for spring break may not help much either.
"Everyone's going to be devastated still because no one's going to be able to talk about it," he said.
Family loses son far too soon
Fabel's family shared their tragic news on social media Friday, describing some of the things Fabel loved, like his cat Jinx, hockey and his family.
A visitation will be held Monday between 3-5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. at Families First Funeral Home on Dougall Ave. Fabel's funeral will be held Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. at the same location.
To honour Fabel's love of animals, the family asks people to make donations to the Windsor-Essex County Humane Society.
