Carrot River teen remembered as ‘vibrant young man’

The father of one of three teenage boys killed in a highway crash last weekend near Spalding is remembering his son as a “vibrant young man.”

“He always had a smile on his face. I don’t think I ever saw him without a smile,” Brad Skalicky said from his Carrot River home.

Fifteen-year-old Kristian Skalicky, Carter Stevenson, 17, and Justin Gaja, 14, were killed Sunday afternoon on Highway 6 while traveling back from a football camp. They were stopped in a construction zone when a semi-truck slammed into the back of their Cavalier. The Cavalier then hit a Dodge truck in front them, which hit a man working as the flagperson. The Dodge also hit a pilot vehicle, which had a driver inside at the time. All three boys were killed and the flagperson is in critical condition.

Skalicky said Kristian loved sports.

“Seattle Seahawks was his favourite team. He really loved football.”

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The football camp he and the other teens were returning from was preparing them for the upcoming season, Skalicky said.

Skalicky said his son was just starting to come into his own. In addition to school, he also juggled three jobs including working at the town garage where he was gaining experience for a future career as a heavy duty mechanic.

“He was a busy boy. He liked working.”

Skalicky said Kristian was also a bit of an actor, who didn’t shy away from the spotlight.

“He would’ve loved this interview,” Shalicky chuckled.

On Monday, a free barbecue was held at the town’s fire hall to help the community of 1,000 cope with the tragedy.

Fire Chief Scott Debienne helped organize the event.

“I’ve got three or four young guys on the fire department. One’s a junior firefighter who went to school with these guys and played football with them,” he said adding the young firefighter is doing as well as can be expected after such a tragedy.

Skalicky said the entire community is pulling together and their family has received a lot of support.

Funeral dates haven’t been decided on yet. Skalicky said the families are also trying to organize an outdoor memorial for the boys on the high school football field.

news@panow.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow