Quote from the news:
TRIBUTES flowed today for the Gold Coast teenager killed in a horrific accident yesterday when a car mounted the footpath at Labrador and ran down the Year 11 student and his friend.
Jye Strong, 16, was killed and his 15-year-old mate is fighting for his life in Gold Coast Hospital after they were mown down by a 35-year-old female driver who has been charged with dangerous driving causing death.
The driver will appear in Southport Magistrates Court today.
Jye died at the scene and his friend was rushed to hospital where he remains last night in the intensive care unit in a critical condition.
It was Jye's first day back at school.
He was reportedly trying to get his life back on track and was starting a school-based apprenticeship.
He had finished for the day when he and his mate began walking towards his Central Street home.
They stopped at a convenience store at the corner of Kumbari Avenue and Bellevue Parade to buy a can of soft drink and had only just started walking north along Kumbari Avenue when they were struck by a white Ford Falcon.
Shopkeeper Smita Thitme said the pair had just been in her shop buying drinks.
"Then I heard a bang. It was about five minutes later."
She ran outside and saw her young customers lying on the ground in front of her shop.
"It was terrible," she said.
She called police.
Witnesses said the car mounted the kerb and crashed through a set of speakers that had been placed on the footpath and then a pole before crashing into the teenagers.
They were carried almost 70m up the road, back to the shop from where they had just come.
Neighbours and an Ozcare nurse who was passing ran to the pair and started frantically administering CPR.
Southport High School principal Rob Stones was also visibly affected by news of the accident.
He choked back tears as he spoke of the two students.
"This is devastating news for the school community," he said.
"We are all full of shock and grief and sadness.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of these two boys.
"I'm pretty shaken up myself as you can see.
"Both have been students here since Year 8.
"They're certainly faces and personalities that are well known to me."
He said the school was organising counselling and support for distraught students and teachers.
The driver of the car is expected to appear in Southport Magistrates Court today.
When she fronted up to court, we all went there and skipped class for the hearing. She was waving to us, blowing us kisses, and giving us the thumbs up. She wasn't doing it in sympathy, she was being rude, and disgusting, and I hope she never comes out of jail.
We were also given walls near the crash site, to graffiti. We took it a step further and did it all over our school, and all over the cement floor near the crash site.
The next few days at school, were extremely hard for everyone, Majority of us didn't attend the classes.
I'm sorry if none of you care about this, but I felt I needed to express it one way or another.
Thanks for your time ^.^
)
