SCHOOL BUS CRASH REPORTS 2007

Memorial Held For 10-Year-Old Killed In School Bus Crash
April 14, 2007

John Pham was remembered Saturday night as an ordinary kid that loved his family and friends, and was taken from them much too soon.

"I just want everybody to remember him as just a kind, loving and a really brave kid all around," said his cousin, Giang Nguyen.

The pain of saying goodbye began at the 10-year-old Mississauga boy's visitation and as family and friends met to mourn him, the circumstances of his death continue to haunt his community.

Pham died Wednesday when the school bus he was on collided with a lumber truck and swerved into a ditch on Highway 410 in Brampton.

Ambulances took all of the students on board to the hospital and three were seriously hurt. Pham was airlifted to Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children, where he died a short time later.

So to a Mississauga funeral home came his father, cousins and classmates Saturday night, and the group reflected on the child and his legacy.

Tributes from students at his school including drawings and messages flooded the building. One read "Although John is in heaven now, I know he is at peace in a better place, looking down at his family and friends."

At the same time, his family looks at pictures of their lost loved one and seeks solace in knowing that his organs were willingly donated and will be used to help save the lives of others.

A funeral for Pham will be held on Monday.

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