Victims of fatal Highway 69 crash ‘missed dearly’

A friend of one of the victims of a fatal crash on Highway 69 on Tuesday night has launched an online campaign to help a grieving grandmother.

Police say a northbound SUV crossed the centre line into the path of a southbound tractor trailer on Highway 69 near Parry Sound, just south of the Shawanaga River bridge.

The two vehicles collided, the SUV was quickly enveloped in flames, and police say all of its occupants were confirmed dead.

No names have been released so far, and the latest from OPP is that investigators are working to officially confirm the identities of the people who died in the crash.

However, close acquaintances say family members in the Sault have received next-of-kin calls this week. Multiple sources have identified the victims as Hunter Chamberlain, Victoria Whitehead and two-year-old Bentley.

A GoFundMe campaign launched Friday by Sault Ste. Marie's Rebecca Laura Chapman took just 11 hours to surpass its goal of raising $2,000 for Victoria's mother, Jodey Whitehead.

"This past week, my best friend Victoria, the father of her child, and her two-year-old son Bentley passed away on Highway 69. Her son was chronically ill with biliary atresia," Chapman said in a post that had been shared 610 times by 11 p.m.

"I can’t imagine the pain she is going through having to let go of her grandbaby’s possessions and her own to make the money she needs in this tragic time of need," Chapman's GoFundMe page said. 

"I want to help raise at least $2,000 towards funeral costs and supporting her. She is the best grandmother and mother on the planet and she deserves help. We will all miss Victoria and Bentley dearly. This fund will not bring them back, but at least we can help Jodey keep their possessions.”