Tributes pour in for 17-year-old killed in ambulance crash
Joseph Latimer
Tributes are pouring in for the family of a 17-year-old boy who was in an ambulance when it crashed with a dump truck in northern Minnesota on Tuesday, June 8.
Joseph "Joey" Latimer, of Grand Rapids, was one of two passengers in the ambulance who were killed. The other was Troy Edward Boettcher, 51, of Warba.
The crash also injured the ambulance driver and the dump truck driver. Their conditions are not known.
"The tragic loss of such a pure and innocent soul is going to be the ultimate test to the ones who loved and cared for him most," a Go Fund Me page to support Joseph's family says.
The page adds, "Joe's family has known nothing other than being his caretakers, his support, his voice, which they all loved to do and they all did it so well."
When Joseph was born, he could fit in the palm of your hand and his family has done everything it can to give him the best life he could, noting he was diagnosed with Autism at a young age, the page says. Over the past winter, Joey battled "extreme medical complications" that resulted in him spending almost 40 days in the ICU at Children's Hospital.
"Joey was just starting to make a full recovery from everything he endured late 2020 when early Tuesday morning he had a seizure which was the reason for the ambulance ride that day," the page says.
The page notes that Joseph wasn't the only one involved in the "terrible and tragic accident," saying many others will be forever be affected by it.
"Our small community has endured so much grief and sadness over this past year. There really are no words to explain what so many are battling right now," the page says. "We kindly ask that anyone who is able to extend a helping hand in any way possible, big or small, your generosity will be forever appreciated."
The Go Fund Me has raised more than $6,000 in the first 22 hours it was created.
