On Sept. 13, a motorcycle and pickup truck collided near Qualicum Beach. The driver of the motorcycle was seriously injured while his passenger, Amanda (Mandy) Boss was killed.
Boss, from Port Alberni, was a mother of two young boys.
Her friends and loved ones have started raising money for funeral costs and to help her sons.
"When my wife woke me up Sunday morning and told me what happened, my initial thought was those two boys," said Darcey Linden, who started the fundraiser.
He has known Boss for 25 years, the two having met in school.
"Our friend is no longer with us and these boys' mother is no longer with us. We're doing what we can to help the kids."
As of Sept. 17, the fundraiser has received more than $18,000, with a goal of $26,000. All of the funds will go towards a funeral for Boss and to support the children, including creating a college fund for them.
He said Boss's friends are devastated and he is trying to hold it together so he can focus on making sure her children are taken care of as best as they can be without their mother.
"I'll be devastated later, right now I've got work to do," he said.
Linden said there has been an outpouring of support from the community, including from the Toy Run Society and Commandos Motorcycle Club.
"Her children were her entire world and she was theirs, she would have moved heaven and earth for those boys," he said. "It's overwhelming when I think about them now and the insurmountable void her loss will leave in their hearts."
Linden said Boss was generous and free-spirited, but he believes she would most like to be remembered as a mother to her two sons.
People who would like to donate can do so at gofundme.com/f/mandy-boss.
The RCMP have not yet released a cause of the collision and are asking witnesses and anyone with dashcam footage of the drivers to contact BC Highway Patrol – Parksville at 250-954-2953 and quote file (7001) 2025-1877.
“The minutes and hours leading up to this collision could provide important evidence. If you saw the motorcycle rider or pickup driver’s behaviour, please talk to police,” said Cpl. Michael McLaughlin with BC Highway Patrol in a news release. “We also encourage people against speculating about who or what caused this crash. Nothing has been ruled out.”
