WASHINGTON, Mo. (KMOV/Gray News) – A Missouri family suffered an unspeakable loss when their 16-year-old son died days after a crash with a tractor-trailer, but the teenager will leave a lasting legacy through organ donation.
Before his death, 16-year-old Isaac Lashley was preparing for a life of service as he planned to follow in his father‘s footsteps as a firefighter. His father is a volunteer firefighter, and his son was a member of the Washington Fire Department’s fire service explorer club, KMOV reports.
Now, Lashley’s family and the fire department are left mourning after the 16-year-old high school student lost control of his pickup truck last Friday afternoon. He was rounding a curve on Highway 50 west of Union, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report.
Lashley’s pickup collided with a tractor-trailer, and the teen suffered traumatic injuries and lost all brain activity, according to Washington Fire Chief Tim Frankenberg.
“We’re a big family, and when we lose one, it affects all of us. It’s definitely impacting all of us in some way, but we’re very much supportive of whatever we can do for the Lashley family,” Frankenberg said.
Lashley’s parents made the decision to donate the teenager’s organs and leave a lasting legacy. Staff at St. Louis Children’s Hospital lined a hallway Wednesday for a “walk of honor” as Lashley’s body was taken to a waiting ambulance and then transported to an organ donor facility.
“He’s helping others by giving of himself, quite literally,” Frankenberg said.
Lashley was a member of the Junior ROTC, and commitment and service run in his family, according to Frankenberg. Not only is his father a volunteer firefighter, but his mother is an emergency room nurse.
The Chief Mason Griffith Foundation has started a fundraising effort to help the family with medical and funeral expenses.
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