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Family collapses as hundreds of mourners gather for first funeral of horror ute smash victim, 16 – as his coffin arrives at church covered in red and white flowers
- Tyrese Bechard and four of his mates died in the crash on September 6.
- They died when the Nissan Navara they were in crashed into trees in Buxton
- Tyrell Edwards, 18, was the alleged driver and sole survivor of the fatal crash
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Hundreds of mourners gathered at HisHouse Church in Picton, southwest of Sydney, on Thursday morning to bid farewell to 16-year-old Tyrese Bechard.
The Picton High School student died on September 6 along with four of his friends when a Nissan Navara ute crashed into two trees on East Parade in nearby Buxton.
Tyrell Edwards, 18, was the alleged driver and sole survivor of the crash – which also killed Lily van de Putte, 15, Summer Williams, 14, and 14-year-old Gabriella McLennan.
Ahead of Thursday’s funeral, multiple homes in the small town of Picton put up balloons to pay tribute to the five teens.
At the funeral, the church overflowed with friends and family who hugged and wept as a photo of Tyrese was shown on a projector — in front of bouquets of white flowers.
Teens arrived in school uniforms to pay their respects and the mood was gloomy in the church.
Before the service, Coldplay’s “Fix You” was heard over the silent sobs of loved ones, before the crowd stood as the coffin was brought in, playing “Forever Young.”
Tyrese Bechard (pictured right) died in a car accident last Tuesday when a Nissan Navara ute crashed into two trees on East Parade in nearby Buxton
At the funeral, the church overflowed with friends and family hugging and crying as a photo of Tyrese was shown on a projector
Daily Mail Australia previously revealed that Tyrese was boxing with Antonio in the hours before the crash and that they would catch the train home together.
When it got late, Antonio’s father Exaven Desisto called his son to ask where he was.
“I called him because I always called him when he was home late, and I said, ‘Tony, where are you?’ recalls Mr. Desisto.
“And he said, ‘I’m at McDonald’s to get some food, I’m at Tyrell’.”
When Mr. Desisto told his son to ‘take care of it’ [Tyrell] drives f***ing safe,” the 15-year-old replied, “Yeah, Dad, you know me, I love my life, we’ll be safe.”
Hours later, the teens were dead.
Edwards was struck by five counts of dangerous driving resulting in death and was refused bail at Picton Local Court last Thursday.
In an interview with officers, Edwards is said to have told police that his steering wheel started to ‘shake’ and that he lost control of the vehicle.
He said he was out of control of the vehicle and tried to brake, but it did not brake significantly. Police allege that the scene’s driver’s license does not support his account.
The driver also claimed that he only knew about four passengers and did not know when the fifth got into the car.
After the court’s mention on Thursday, Edwards was taken to… Metropolitan Remand and Reception Center in Silverwater.
Witnesses claimed the car was traveling at ‘high speeds’ and was on the wrong side of the road before turning back to the right before the crash.
According to court documents, four of the teens were thrown from the back of the vehicle.
They were found ‘at close range, caught by confinement’.
Edwards was reportedly unable to extricate himself from the wreckage while another victim was trapped in a passenger seat.