An Ottawa teenager who was ejected from his van while delivering newspapers has died of his injuries.
Kareem Ghazal, age 17, was riding with his mother on Wednesday when their van rolled into a ditch near Shea Road and Fernbank Road in southwest Ottawa.
He was ejected from the vehicle and was found 20 metres away with critical injuries, according to paramedics.
Mourners at his funeral on Monday said he was helping his mother take care of his father's newspaper route while he was out of the country.
"His number one thing in life was just his family," said Bassam Hussien, who said he knew him since Grade 9. "He'd do anything for his family."
"His dad, he feels pretty regretful," said Ali al-Shammari.
Friends said they were struggling with his sudden death.
"We just met him this year but he made a huge impression on all of us," said one of them before tearing up.
"It hit really hard because Kareem was somebody who would go out of his way to be kind to people," said Gretta Sawma, the mother of one of his friends.
He had been in intensive care since early that morning until his death on Sunday, while his mother was released from hospital Wednesday morning.
His teachers said he died a few weeks after finishing high school.
"He was looking forward to going off to university," said Mark Woermke. "I understand he wanted to go into electrical engineering."
It's still not clear what caused the crash.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Stefan Keyes
