Teen killed in crash 'saving 45 lives' after signing donor form days earlier

CTV Winnipeg: Teen's organs donated to 45 people A 16-year-old who was killed in a crash saved 45 lives just two days after signing up to become an organ donor.

Next time you're renewing a piece of government-issued I.D., don't overlook the organ donation form that comes along with it.

That's the message friends and family are sharing following the death of 16-year-old Tyler Klassen, who was fatally injured in a car crash two days after he filled out a donor consent form while signing up for his first driver's licence.

Klassen was involved in a single-vehicle incident on a rural road outside Steinbach, Man., on Saturday. Police say the vehicle went into the ditch and hit the trees at the side of the road. Klassen was seriously injured in the incident, and a 16-year-old passenger was also injured but in stable condition.

Klassen died in hospital on Wednesday.

"His mom is just full of mixed emotions right now," Doreen Dueck, a family friend, told CTV Winnipeg. She said Klassen's mother is devastated and heartbroken by his loss, but also "full of joy" because her son is "going to be saving 45 lives" as an organ donor.

A GoFundMe page set up to cover the cost of Klassen's funeral managed to raise $10,000 in its first two days.

With files from CTV Winnipeg