LONDON, ONT -- Branden Pettit was out for a skate on his skateboard on the evening of Saturday, Oct. 3, in Port Stanley when a sudden accident changed everything.
The teen was heading down a hill when he fell.
It’s unknown if he lost his balance or hit something in the road, but as he fell he hit his head and was unresponsive. Branden was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.
Two days later he would be on life support and pronounced brain dead.
“It isn’t fair, the world had other plans for you and I will never understand,” wrote Ange Ralf, Branden’s mother, on Facebook.
A doctor happened to be in the area during the time of Branden’s accident and worked to revive him while he suffered from a collapsed lung.
However, it would be the injuries to his head that would prove to be too much.
A letter sent out from Branden's school, Parkside Collegiate Institute, described him as "a very sweet, quiet boy."
The Thames Valley District School Board sent members of the Traumatic Events Response Team to support staff and students.
The family has decided to donate some of Branden’s organs in an effort to help others through this tragedy.
His mother has also started an online campaign called Lidup4branden to advocate for people to wear helmets when skateboarding or cycling.
A GoFundMe has been set up for the family in order to assist with upcoming costs.