Thread: Please read this!!!!!

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My friend passed away 2 days ago in a coma, he was 14, Im very upset and i just want to share the great things about my friend to you guys, and how he died......Whether as family member, friend, gifted student or athlete, Shane Michael Griffin was admired by those who knew him.
Recently, the confident, straight-A student and promising cross-country runner at Fitzgerald High School encouraged pals and classmates to urge their parents to vote in last week's election. The combination of the 14-year-old Warren boy's personality, brightness, ability and devotion to academics and athletics left an indelible mark that few will forget.

"The kind of student that teachers would remember because of his outstanding qualities," said Paul Demic, Shane's sixth-grade wrestling coach and physical education teacher at Chatterton Middle School in Warren.

Now, those whose lives Shane touched are mourning his death.

The popular Warren teen-ager died Wednesday, 11 days after the driver of a pickup truck slammed into the rear of a Dodge Neon that Shane was a passenger in. Warren police said the pickup driver was drunk and admitted to smoking marijuana before the collision.
"(A child's death) is something you can never prepare for," the uncle said. "It's a parent's worst nightmare and a relative's worst nightmare. There are no words to describe how they're handling it."

An "overwhelming" number of people stopped by the hospital in the days following the accident, he said. Several local businesses and Mothers Against Drunk Driving have donated goods or services to the wake following Shane's funeral Saturday.

At Fitzgerald High School where Shane attended ninth grade, the mood was subdued. Fitzgerald Public Schools' crisis team was available to counsel students and staff.

"We had several kids go home today who didn't want to be here. Everybody copes in different ways and we were very open to that," principal Laurie Fournier said Thursday.

In recent days, students wrote approximately 100 cards and letters sharing their thoughts. Several, including all of Shane's teammates on the cross-country team, spent many hours at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak where he laid in a coma.

The school sent letters home with all students Thursday for parents whose children may be having difficulty coping with the loss of a friend and classmate.

Fournier, who was the principal at Mound Park Elementary School for part of the time Shane attended classes there, said making a schoolwide announcement about a student's death was difficult.

"It is more personal when you know the family," she said. "It's devastating to think of a 14-year-old boy and that happening to him." School staffers are establishing a foundation in Shane's memory, and fund-raisers are planned.

Das Campbell, the coach of the Fitzgerald Spartans cross-country team since 1968, said Shane had "natural speed" that cannot be taught.

"It's been a while since we've had someone with that kind of potential," Campbell said. "He definitely would have left his mark at Fitzgerald in running."

Shane was a member of Student Council and was an avid University of Michigan basketball fan. He recently received his varsity letter in cross country and was also preparing for the wrestling team. On Oct. 8, his cross-country time broke a tie to help the Spartans win the Macomb Area B-C-D Invitational. Two weeks later, he ran his best race at Metro Beach.

His last race was Oct. 30. Hours later, he and two friends returned from the Star John R Theatre in Madison Heights. One of Shane's friends exited the front seat after they pulled up to that teen's home at Warner and Chestnut streets.

Seconds later, the pickup hit the rear of the Neon. A preliminary breath test showed the driver of the 1985 Ford F-150, Mark Michael Bell, had a blood-alcohol content of .119 percent. Michigan's legal standard of intoxication is .08 percent.

Accident investigators believe Bell, 24, of Warren, was driving at least 55 mph in the 25 mph zone. Witnesses who saw the pickup moments before the crash estimated he was going 70-80 mph, police said.

Bell initially was charged with drunken driving causing serious injury, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. With Shane's death, Bell could face a more serious charge of drunken driving causing death, or possibly second-degree murder, police said.

"It will be up to prosecutors what they charge (Bell) with," Detective Cpl. Randy Ricotta said.

"We suspect drugs were involved also. He told officers at the scene that he was smoking marijuana earlier in the night," Ricotta said.

Bell and the 17-year-old driver of the Neon were not injured. Bell's driving record could not be obtained Thursday, but police said he had previous license suspensions that have been cleared.

At the Warren towing yard where both vehicles are held, the bed of the pickup contains a rider lawnmower and assorted empty beverage containers including beer cans. Inside the vehicle, rolling papers are in the ashtray. Amid strewn clothes, a Polaroid photograph of two unidentified toddlers lies on a seat.

Even in death, Shane will touch people who never met him. Family members decided to donate his organs to improve the lives of others.



Boo!

I am so sorry for your loss, he sounds like he was an exceptional person and will be missed by many.



It's only funny until someone gets hurt....THEN IT'S HILARIOUS!!!

Yep.. that sucks. Condolences and let us remember that the original purpose of Halloween was to fondly recall and remeber those who have passed on before us.

"Shop Smart. Shop S Mart", Ash - Army of Darkness

Sorry to hear about your loss. I’ve lost friends and family to both sides of this. Drunk or victim. I even know someone who was drunk and killed someone wile driving. The accident happened years ago, he’s still not over it. Not a happy person. I hope everyone remembers the good this kid did and becomes better people in the process.



Ahhhh....can you hear them? The children of the night. And I’m there daddy!

My sincerest condolences to you and the family and friends of Shane. Being the mother of a boy who just turned 15 last week, I can only imagine his mother's sorrow and pain. Please pass on our sympathies to everyone who knew and loved him. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.





Widow's Gallery

MonsterM,

I'm so very sorry for the loss of your friend and an awesome young man. MY LORD....it makes me take a look at the young man sitting on my couch right now...my thirteen year old son. It could have happened to him as well as any of our children or friends. This has got to stop! It seems as though the good ones are taken from us......

ShadowBox Theatre of Horror:
http://sbtoh.ihoststudio.com/

Halloween Gallery Pics!
http://halloweengallery.com/thumbnai...astupby&uid=30

Problems may come and
problems may go..but HAUNTING is forever in the soul!

I am very sorry to hear about your loss too, especially since I see that sort of thing all the time, occupation wise.

It is very sad and unfortunate when someone loses their life, as lives all around the person become shattered and destroyed.

I am very sorry, and my prayers will be with him.

Pete

Screamhaunt

You're a wonderful friend, Monster. This is a grim reminder that we ALL should do our part to get these drivers OFF the road by pushing for stricter laws, reporting drunk/high/reckless drivers IMMEDIATELY, whether it means calling from a pay phone or nearby business phone if a wireless isn't available.

This sort of thing happens WAY to much and it's going to keep happening unless people start DOING something about it. When I see 'suspicious' driving... I report it. I ALWAYS report it. But I've also been in a vehicle with someone who wont stop and make a call when they see this sort of thing.

Monster, you're friend didn't die in vain if you get involved with stopping this sort of crime. Do whatever you can to help the fight against drunk/impaired drivers. Keep making noise, LOTS of noise, write letters, make phone calls, do whatever you can because eventually... someone WILL hear you!

((( HUGS )))



"In nightmares our screams are silent, yet all fallen angels hear us on their way down." --E. Riddle

"Autumn whispers to me. It always has." --E. Riddle

The Corridors: Where Halloween is Forever
Autumn Whispers to Me

hey ash,
u know how sad i am and me and u knew him since.......... sixth grade and now were in ninth 3 years can u believe it? I hope that guy gets hung!! and u know were i hope he goes?? [}]

Dorothy rocks!!

My condolences to you and Shanes family. This kind of thing is very damaging in more ways than one, and needs to be stopped once and for all.

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