Teen killed walking on rural road

For the second time in two weeks a teenager in west Niagara has died after being hit by a vehicle. 16-year old Trevor Potten of Grimsby was hit while walking along the side of the road Tuesday night. He died less than 24 hours later.

Trevor Potten was in grade 11 at Grimsby Secondary School. The flag there is flying at half staff.

“It’s really sad. It kind of shook the whole school.”

Trevor died Wednesday afternoon at McMaster Children’s Hospital from critical head injuries he suffered after being struck by a vehicle. About 7:30 Tuesday evening, Trevor was walking along Mountain Road near Kemp when he was hit. It’s a rural road that’s very dark at night.

Word of Trevor’s death spread quickly.

“I didn’t believe it. I didn’t believe it at all. I thought it was a joke.”

Trevor’s friends are in shock. Grief counsellors are at the school.

“People who knew him, there’s a room they can sit if they can’t make it through class.”

Others are offering condolences on social media.

Bella writes: “Rest in peace Trevor Potten, You are, and always will be missed, your smile
and humour and love for superheroes will always be remembered.”

On Twitter and Facebook, friends are remembering Trevor Potten as a guy who knew how to make people smile.

“I saw him all the time. We went to elementary school together. And now we go to high school together. And he always walked around with a smile on his face.”

Trevor Potten was a drummer with the cadets. His family would like volunteers to play the 2014 Blackdown Drum Salute for him. Trevor played it all the time at home.

There’s been some suggestion on social media that the driver was impaired. But police say that is not true. Police found no evidence she’d been drinking.