Ottawa police are continuing to investigate a fatal crash that killed three teens when their vehicle left an isolated dirt road after leaving a house-warming party in a rural area of the city's east end.
Police are still trying to determine what caused a pick-up truck to roll off the road and enter a ditch on Heuvelmans Road in Navan over the weekend. Although nothing has been ruled out, investigators say they are looking at speed as a possible factor.
The victims have been identified as Chris Sabean, 19, Brad Rivington, 19, and Ginny Marko, 16.
Elise Grundy, 18, was the lone survivor of the crash. She was treated at the scene and rushed to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. She remains in serious condition.
Sabean's brother, who owns the truck involved in the crash, said it appears the group was returning to a party celebrating Rivington's new home.
"As far as I'm concerned, they went to a party. There's no indication as to why they were heading back towards the house and that's all I know," said Justin Sabean, who lent Chris his truck for the weekend.
Since the tragic crash, the community has been reaching out to offer their support. Alex Sabean said he's now trying to stay strong for his parents.
"It's the main thing I'm trying to do," he said. "(Chris) was a great guy, great brother . . . he loved sports and he was friendly."
Meanwhile, students at Sir Wilfred Laurier Secondary School in Orleans remembered Marko with a slideshow showing snapshots of her life.
"Just losing her in general, she was always so happy and like she was just such a good friend to everyone . . . and not having her around and not seeing her at all is like the hardest part I guess," said Samantha Loan, who struggled to fight back tears on Monday.
"I just don't want to think about it. I didn't want her to feel any pain . . . I didn't want anything like that to happen to her," added Kyle Hodder.
"I just think it was a couple bad decisions and one thing led to another and now we're all here."
Sabean and Rivington both graduated from Cairine Wilson Secondary School in June.
The school posted a message of condolence on its website on Monday. Staff and students are dealing with the tragedy by coming together and organizing a memorial for the two young graduates.
Counsellors are currently available at both schools for anyone who needs additional support.
The rollover was discovered by a friend early Sunday morning. The cab of the truck was crushed and all four victims had to be extricated from the vehicle.
Paramedics, who were among the first to respond, said the crash was hard for them to handle.
"It's the worst of the worst, nobody wants to ever deal with these kinds of accidents," said Stephane Gareau of the Ottawa paramedics.
"Apparently, they were all trapped inside the vehicle. And with the vehicle on its roof and the damage that was reported, it wasn't a very pleasant scene for the paramedics."
Friends continued to visit the location of the deadly rollover on Monday, leaving behind bouquets of flowers and cards in remembrance of their loved ones.
"They were just great people you know. Always smiling, always positive," said Mike Prusakowski.
"It's a great shock to all of us when we got that phone call and we can't believe it. It still won't sink in, and it won't sink in for a long time."
At J.T. Bradley's general store on Monday, Rivington was remembered as a hard-worker who was kind and strong-willed.
"Every time you met him, he had a smile on his face. He had really nice blue eyes and he was always happy to see you. And the customers loved him and he was a great worker," said John Bradley, the store's owner.
A funeral for Sabean and Rivington will be held at St Mary's Anglican Church in Navan on Friday. The service for Sabean is scheduled for 10 a.m., followed by a service for Rivington at 1 p.m. A wake will follow at Kelly's Funeral Home.
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call Ottawa police at 613-236-1222, ext. 2481.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Stefan Keyes
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