Tonight, a teenager's body lies in the morgue while another teenager struggles with the knowledge that he may have caused his best friend's death.
19-year-old Daniel Thompson was killed in a traffic accident early this morning in Ladyville. Reports are that his motorcycle was hit by a car driven by his best friend, 19-year-old William Faux.
And while one teenager is dead, another could be facing criminal charges.
Courtney Menzies spoke with the victim's brother today and has this story.
A friendship between two 19-year-olds was shattered early this morning after one of them was killed in a traffic accident, and the other one may be facing charges for his death.
Around 1:00 this morning, Daniel Thompson was riding his black motorcycle on the Philip Goldson Highway, heading to the same destination with William Faux, who was driving a red Dodge Challenger. Then, between miles 12 and 13, Faux collided into Thompson, sending both vehicles crashing into the tall grass at the side of the road.
It's a tragedy that has changed the trajectory of a young man's life, while ending another's. And according to Thompson's brother, the fact that he was so young has made his death harder to come to terms with.
Bayron Perez, Brother of Deceased
"Upon reaching there, I saw his - because he has a twin brother - I saw him there holding him and I said, oh no, definitely that was him. So it was really devastating to see such a young guy losing his life to a road traffic accident."
"Right now we are in a state of shock that this happened and really and truly, it's really sad for us it's something that we didn't expect really and it's something that hit very hard at home."
But how did this accident happen? Reports say both drivers were speeding, and that Thompson's motorcycle didn't have its taillights, so Faux was unable to see him. But Thompson's brother explained that he'd just gotten the bike earlier this week:
Bayron Perez, Brother of Deceased
"That bike was repaired Tuesday so he recently just got back into riding again."
Courtney Menzies:
"But before that he was… did he use it for years?"
Bayron Perez, Brother of Deceased
"Yes, he was very experienced in riding motorcycles, yes."
But regardless of how the incident happened, Perez says he's not holding any grudges because of how close the two teenagers were.
Bayron Perez, Brother of Deceased
"To my knowledge both of them were traveling up north. It seems that the Dodge lost control and hit him. In fact, both of them were best friends actually. So I know it wasn't something intentional but we can't avoid the fact that it happened."
Courtney Menzies:
"And so you don't have any grievances against the driver of the Dodge?"
Bayron Perez, Brother of Deceased
"It would be something that he wouldn't want us to have because really and truly, they were hanging out that same night, to my knowledge, so.. and both of them they see each other almost everyday. It's really like a best friend thing they had."
And now, Thompson's family has to grapple with the grief of losing someone so young and full of determination. His brother explained that Thompson worked with him at Triple J Construction, and was always focused on achieving whatever he put his mind to.
Bayron Perez, Brother of Deceased
"He was a guy with a very strong character, very outgoing. He would tell you things straight up, that's basically how he is. No cut round the bush or anything like that, he tells you straight, how he feels."
"His aspirations were to be a driver, because he started off working as a side man and from there he worked on using all the machineries, the backhoe, forklift, and then he got his license to become a driver so he was very experienced in handling machineries."
Thompson started working after attending Tubal Trade & Vocational Institute in Ladyville.
