The second victim of a deadly boat incident in North Vancouver has been identified as 10-year-old Onur Yucel, and a GoFundMe has been set up to aid in his recovery from critical injuries.
Onur was travelling on a recreational tube with his “lifelong” friend, 10-year-old Lionel Hall, June 7 when they were hit by a speed boat off Whey-ah-Wichen/Cates Park. Lionel died in the collision.
But Onur was rushed to hospital in critical condition. He remains in hospital with an uncertain future ahead, according to the online fundraiser set up by family friend Sinemyis Unver.
“Onur’s recovery will be lengthy and will come with immense challenges as Onur’s life-changing injuries may require an as-yet-undetermined level of care,” Unver wrote. “The beautiful, sunny day of excitement and fun on the water ended in tragedy and left Onur with serious head trauma among other painful injuries.”
Onur never turned down a day on the water, be it boating, swimming, sailing, tubing or surfing, and would often bring along his pet pug Potato, Unver said.
“Single-mom Tulay [Yucel] is a preschool child-care provider who is now spending every spare moment between the hospital and home in Surrey where Onur’s older brother, Umut (12), is coping with his own trauma from the accident, loss of his friend and concern for his little brother,” Unver wrote.
“This is a tight family with few supports to call upon. Please consider supporting Tulay and her boys as they navigate this unimaginably painful time,” Unver wrote.
A separate GoFundMe set up for Lionel's family has raised more than $110,000.
