20-Year-Old with 'Biggest Heart' Dies After Crash Just 'Yards' from Home: 'I Miss Him Dearly,' Says Dad
Steven Ouellette said the crash occurred "300 yards from our home" in Salem, Massachusetts
A 20-year-old man died in a single-vehicle car crash near his home in Massachusetts on Sunday evening.
Kory Ouellette died as a result of the crash on Puritan Road, according to Salem Police.
Steven Ouellette, Kory's father, told The Boston Globe that the crash happened "300 yards from our home" as his son was on his way there.
Kory slammed into a fence and died of his injuries, NBC affiliate WBTS-CD and Boston.com reported.
It wasn't immediately clear what led to the crash, but the department's Criminal Investigation Division and the Massachusetts State Police Accident Reconstruction Team are investigating, according to police.
"I don’t have too many words. I miss him dearly," his father told The Globe. "I’m still trying to process what happened."
Witness Vinny Valenti, a home improvement worker, was renovating a nearby house when he heard a crash and rushed to help Kory, according to WBTS-CD.
"I ran out and there was a whole 12-foot pole, the top of the fence, it went through the windshield, through his neck and out the back window," he told the station.
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Kory was a 2021 graduate of St. Mary’s Catholic School in Lynn, a big-family man and a lover of baseball and hockey, per The Globe. According to the boys' coach, Mark Lee, both Kory and his older brother Kyle were a force on the school's hockey team.
"My fondest memory was seeing how they both got along," Lee told the newspaper. "On or off the ice, Kyle was always looking out for his brother Kory, and vice versa."
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In a tribute posted on social media, the school said they were "deeply saddened" by his sudden death.
"Kory was a well respected member of the Class of 2021, who will always hold a special place in the hearts of his peers, teachers, coaches and administrators. He was a standout hockey and baseball player and a true Spartan," the tribute read. "Please join us in praying for Kory and his family at this unthinkably difficult time. St. Mary's welcomes to campus any alumni who would like support as they process the loss of Kory."
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A message on a GoFundMe page, which raised over $33,000 as of Tuesday, remembered the 20-year-old as having "the biggest heart and the best personality."
"He was always looking out for everyone and had the ability to make everyone laugh even in the worst of times," read the tribute. "We will miss him deeply."
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