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Grieving Family Gathers at Funeral for Boy, 10, Killed in School Bus Crash

Posted on: Monday, 16 April 2007, 18:00 CDT

By TOBI COHEN

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. (CP) - Even for those who couldn't understand Vietnamese, the deep sorrow in the voice of a father who lost a son in a horrific school bus crash last week was enough to reduce a congregation of mourners to tears.

As education and government officials in Ontario continue grappling with the controversial issue of mandating seatbelts on school buses, hundreds gathered at a Mississauga, Ont., church west of Toronto Monday to say goodbye to 10-year-old John Pham.

Pham and 26 Grade four classmates were on a school field trip last Wednesday when the bus they were riding in collided with a tractor trailer and landed in a Highway 410 ditch.

Pham suffered serious head injuries and had no vital signs when he was rushed to a local hospital. Emergency room physicians resuscitated him and he was airlifted to Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children where he died later that night.

Many of the children suffered minor bumps and bruises, however, two young girls remain at Sick Kids - one with aleg fracture and another with abdominal injuries.

"We will never be the same, but we feel comfort in knowing that by donating his organs, John's death has given new life to others," his father Tuan told reporters after the service.

"We know that John is looking down on us today and smiling. His smile is the light that will always stay in our lives."

Standing before the San Salvador Do Mundo Church congregation moments earlier, Pham gave an emotional eulogy in which he spoke about the painful void that now exists around the family home where John lived with his parents and five-month old sister Sophia.

"At times like this we look to our faith for comfort and to guide us in this hour of darkness," he said later. "May God keep him safe and protect him until the day that we could all be together again."

Many young classmates were among those who attended the service where Pham's principal, vice principal, librarian and teachers from St. Alfred Catholic School took a moment to remember their beloved pupil.

"I just say rest in peace," his classmate Michael Canosa told reporters. "I was just thinking about how he's going to be with God and the Lord."

Teachers described Pham as a polite, generous boy with a good sense of humour who enjoyed math, science, reading and drawing.

"I will always remember John as a very polite and gentle natured little boy," his Grade 1 teacher Lucy Thomas said, her voice cracking with sadness. "He had a real sense of curiosity about the world around him."

"Every day he walked into my class with a big smile. Always eager to learn and be with his friends," his Grade 3 teacher Trisha Geronimo said. "In whatever he did he put his whole heart and soul into it."

Bruce Campbell of the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board said the subject of seatbelts on school buses is likely something the board will discuss.

Ontario Provincial Police are continuing to investigate the crash along with Transport Canada and Laidlaw Transit Inc., the bus company chartered by the school.

An inquest into Pham's death could also be called, but it's a decision Ontario's deputy chief coroner said will depend on the outcome of the police investigation.

The inquest would likely focus on the pros and cons of having seatbelts on school buses and whether having them might have prevented Pham's untimely death.

Source: Canadian Press

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