Riverside family mourns the loss of 16 year old killed in motorcycle crash on E.C. Row

It’s been a long weekend of looking back at fond memories of Dakota Rivard.

“I will miss our late night chats the most. Dakota and I spoke about everything and he was unapologetically honest,” said Jamie Poisson, mother of 16-year-old Dakota, who died Friday after his motorcycle was involved in a crash on the E.C. Row Expressway near the Central Avenue Exit.

“We're doing as best as can be expected. It really comes and goes day by day,” said Poisson. “There's just nobody like him. I just don't even know how to articulate just how he could light up a room.”

Dakota was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Another motorcyclist remains in hospital and a police investigation into the cause of the crash remains ongoing.

“We've been working hard as a family to kind of find a way to move forward but to not let his memory, you know, just how to, how do we keep him alive as we move forward,” said Poisson. “So we're still kind of struggling with finding that balance.”

Poisson remembers her son Dakota as a smart, intuitive kid who was always questioning everything.

She calls him a gear-head in training who had been riding motor-bikes since the age of 10.

The day after his 16th birthday, Dakota got his beginner’s motorcycle licence and was even in the process of teaching other motorcyclists to ride with his grandma.

In the days since the crash, Poisson has constantly been reminded by friends and teachers at Riverside Secondary School about the kind of guy her son was.

“I respect him a lot, he was there when me and my brother needed him,” said one student. “I know he was really passionate about motorbikes and stuff.”

“It's been it's been overwhelming just how many people he's touched even, you know, within the schools and just within the community,” said Poisson. “When you got to know him, you couldn't forget him. He would just leave this…this impact.”

Most of all, his large, blended family remembers Dakota as the kind of person who would give the shirt off his back to help someone in need.

“We want to remember how amazing he was and that we miss him dearly,” Poisson said. “He loved to ride and he lived life to the fullest and he lived life on his terms.”

Visitation is scheduled for this weekend and a celebration of life ceremony is planned for Nov. 6.