Grief has gripped a St. Catharines community after Courtney Thompson was killed in a car crash on Wednesday evening.

At only 17, Courtney had already made a profound impact on those around her.

“She was just a gorgeous person inside and out. She had so many friends. She was loved by so many people.”

The senior at Laura Secord High School had plans to attend Brock University after she graduated this spring.

“She was really well known at school. She was very soft spoken, sweet. She was involved in a lot of extracurricular activities. She was on the track team.”

Wednesday evening she was on her way to celebrate a friend’s birthday, but she never made it there.

“I was the last person to call her. They said they were going to be there in five minutes.”

Courtney and three friends were in a Mazda 3, driving on Pelham Road when the car went out of control, crossed the centre line, and smashed head on into a Dodge pickup. Thompson was in the passenger seat, and was killed on impact. The 17 year-old driver and another passenger were seriously injured.

“This area is a dark area. It’s a rural area, there’s bends in the road, deer out here. None of these things are we saying attributed to the crash at this time, but we’re certainly looking into it.”

Speed is another factor that’s being considered. Just ahead of the turn where the crash happened there’s a sign indicating drivers should be going no faster than 50 km per hour..

No charges have been laid and as March Break comes to a close, her friends prepare to head back to school without her.

“She had a lot going for her, she was an honour student. It’s just a shame she had to go.”

A young life brought to an abrupt end.