Five Edmonds School District students, ages 13-16, were involved in a car wreck on Olympic View drive in Edmonds on Friday, July 22.
According to Edmonds police Sgt. Shane Hawley, the BMW’s speed had caused it to swerve off the road and into a tree on block 8000, injuring the three surviving passengers.
Two lives were taken in the accident, 16-year-old Zachary Langer and 15-year-old former MTHS student, Noah Vires.
One of the female passengers only received minor injuries and was able to escape the crushed car. She was able to flag down a passing car for help around 11:30 p.m.
The two other surviving teenagers had received more severe injuries including broken bones.
Two of the passengers were in alleged critical condition, but all were taken to the Harborview Medical Center located in Seattle.
Several family members and friends of the victims posted on their social media and Facebook walls messages of love and grieving, publicly documenting how the two boys will be missed.
Some changed their profile pictures in honor of the death of their friends.
Recce Gulling, a friend of Vires, said that he was always like an older brother.
“[Vires] was one of the most loyal people I’ve ever met and he was always standing up for his friends,” Gulling said. “In school he was a little bit of a troublemaker and joker, he had an awesome sense of humor and he never was sad, he had a great outlook on everything.”
Vires was said to be very outgoing and social. He had many friends in the area from his personality and “teddy bear” friendliness.
Vires’s uncle started a GoFundMe page in order for the Vires family to afford to pay for the burial. Of the $15,000 goal, over $14,000 has been raised in the span of a month by friends, family and strangers. From donations of $10 to $300, the community came together to support a grieving family.
