Wallaceburg left reeling after fatal weekend crash
Police investigating collision that killed three people in their 20s
A holiday weekend crash that killed three people in their 20s is taking a “devastating ” toll on this town, friends and community leaders said Tuesday as loved ones mourned the victims.
Police say it was about 10 p.m. Sunday when a car carrying five people collided with a tanker truck in this community of 10,000 northwest of Chatham. Three people in the car were killed, two others injured.
Relatives and friends identified the deceased as Matt Cousins, Victoria Baertsoen and Shaelynn Bachus. Tuesday, a memorial at the crash site drew those who knew them.
“It's devastating,” Caden Jeffs said, noting he attended Wallaceburg District Secondary School with all three. “It still doesn't feel real to me.”
Chatham-kent police said a car driven by a 23-year-old Wallaceburg woman was travelling along Wallace Street when it entered onto Mcnaughton Avenue and collided with a northbound tanker truck. The intersection is controlled by a stop sign for the eastwest traffic on Wallace Street.
Police confirmed the names of the trio killed and identified two other passengers as Selena Bushey, 22, and Mackenzie Vandroffelaar, 25, who they said were both in hospital.
The tanker's driver suffered minor injuries, police said. The investigation was ongoing Tuesday.
At the memorial site, Jeffs recalled Baertsoen and Bachus as fun-loving people he enjoyed making laugh.
In social media posts, loved ones noted the trio was always smiling. Others remembered the kindness and selflessness of the two women.
In an interview, Cousins' old lacrosse coach with the Wallaceburg Red Devils, Jamie Knight, recalled him as a popular teammate. “There wasn't a guy in the room that didn't like him.”
Added Knight: “This is really hard on our community. It's honestly just devastating.”
This is really hard on our community. It's honestly just devastating.
JAMIE KNIGHT
“Everybody in Wallaceburg will know somebody in that vehicle.”
Many residents have changed their social media profiles to an image of the phrase: “Wallaceburg you are in our hearts.” Flags will be flown at half-mast at the Wallaceburg Municipal Centre for the rest of this week. Funeral details were not publicly known as of Tuesday.
A local politician, Coun. Aaron Hall, urged those in need of support to reach out to Chatham-kent Victim Services.
He called the crash “a sudden and devastating tragedy” for their tight-knit community.
Those looking for support can contact Chatham-kent Victim Services at 519-436-6630 or by email at info@ckvictimservices.com.
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact Chatham-kent police Const. Josh Flikweert at joshuaf@chatham-kent.ca or 519-355-1092.