Langley crash victim remembered by loved ones as kind soul
Posted March 21, 2024 3:42 pm.
Last Updated March 21, 2024 7:29 pm.
A Langley mother says she’s devastated after her 20-year-old son — who was in a car that police were trying to pull over — died following a crash this week.
Tye Lawson’s parents say he was the passenger in the Mazda that Langley RCMP officers were trying to stop early Monday morning. The driver reportedly didn’t comply and ended up crashing in the area of 16 Avenue and 264 Street.
Lawson’s mother, Michelle, says her son was taken to the hospital with serious injuries and died Tuesday.
“Tye, the only way to describe him, was a beautiful soul. He has always been the kindest, most giving person I know,” Michelle told CityNews of Tye Thursday.
“He spent endless hours helping his friends who needed help. When he didn’t know how to help his friends, he’d even ask me what kind of advice he could give them to help them through hard times.”
Michelle says Tye was on the autism spectrum and was bullied as a child. She says her son had a hard time growing up and faced “so many uphill battles to get to where he is today.”
“You didn’t know that he’d even make it to graduation. And he did. And it was, like, one of the proudest moments of my life,” the mother recalled.
She tells CityNews Tye had dreams as a child of being in the military and serving his country. He had just recently submitted his application to join the Armed Forces.
Michelle adds on the night of the crash, she was texting her son while he was out on a drive with a friend. It was during this time that she says she received a notification from his phone that there had been a crash.
“And so that is the only details of the accident I have is that his phone detected a crash. And then I drove to that area and was told to go to a hospital bed,” she said.
She says Tye’s younger sister was in a traumatic crash a few years ago, something that was hard on the family.
“I’ve been a little bit more hyper vigilant than most parents, I think, and … pretty … at times … over protective,” Michelle continued.
“This is my worst nightmare and I’m still hoping to wake up.”
The mother says she and her husband are “absolutely devastated, completely decimated” by the loss of their son.
“He was too young,” Tye’s father, Travis, said.
Organ donation
The family has spent all week at the hospital, even following Tye’s death Tuesday night.
Michelle and her husband say they’ve decided to donate their son’s organs, given his dreams of serving in the military.
“We made a decision because of who Tye is and how he wanted to serve his country. We made the decision to donate his organs so that he might help other people going forward and so all his organs are successfully scoring through assessments and tests even though he’s gone. We’re staying with him while he goes through these tests,” Michelle explained.
“If we can help people through the donation of his organs, then it will help ease the pain a little bit and losing him. And then, hopefully, one day, I could even meet one of the donors and just know … seeing his eyes — he’s got the most beautiful blue eyes — and knowing that those eyes are going to be out there somewhere, and … just know that, eventually, one day, his heart will feel true love.”
The Lawsons say they spent time celebrating Tye’s life while waiting for test results Wednesday.
In the days following the crash, they say there’s been an outpouring of support from Tye’s friends and loved ones, with his mother saying many have reached out to share their own stories of her son.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help cover the man’s funeral expenses and support the family during this time.
“It’s not something you put savings aside for, your child’s funeral,” Michelle said, adding the generosity of the community has “blown me away.”
“He was a really great kid and I hope that no other parent ever has to go through this because it’s really quite devastating. I don’t even know how to go home anymore, because he’s my home.”
Michelle and Travis say they were made aware on Wednesday that an investigation was launched into the crash. The Independent Investigations Office announced on Tuesday that it was looking into what role, if any, police actions may have played in the incident.
The IIO is asking anyone who saw the crash or who has any relevant information to contact investigators at 1-855-446-8477 or iiobc.ca.
