A young man is dead after crashing his pick-up truck on the way to school.
Investigators said Dallas High School senior Tom Lynch died when his truck crashed Monday morning near Harveys Lake.
Lynch would have graduated in just a few months and he was all set to enlist in the Army.
Instead, friends shed tears Monday as they remembered the popular young man who was killed Monday morning.
Lynch's friends dropped off flowers at the scene of the deadly crash on Kunkle Road in Dallas Township. They say Lynch loved hiking and the outdoors and that he was an avid outdoorsman and always adventurous.
"He was a really really good guy. I worked with him at McDonald's and went to school with him. He was devoted, strong and determined. He could be corny at times but sometimes it could be good that way," said Gary Anderson of Shavertown.
"The last time I saw him he was at Friendly`s where I used to work. I told him put in a good word for me so my thing was that put in a good word for me when you`re up there, and that`s what I`m saying. He was a great guy. I loved him and I`ll miss him," said Kristen Jones of Shavertown.
Police said the 18 year old lost control of his pick-up truck and slammed into a tree near Lake Street just before 8 a.m. while on his way to school.
Police said road conditions at the time of the crash were dry, wet and also icy. The speed limit at the crash site is 40 miles per hour. Police said speed was a factor in the crash and estimate the truck hit the tree doing at least 60 miles per hour.
Dallas School District Superintendent Frank Galicki said everyone, including students and faculty, were stunned at the loss.
"Very strong in the Boy Scouts, also just received his Eagle Scout award in December, was recruited to go into the Army. August 8 he would be reporting to Fort Benning. He wanted to be a cavalry scout. That`s all he wanted to do," Galicki said.
School officials at Dallas said grief counselors will be on hand for anyone who needs them for the next few days.
"Everybody grieves in their own special way. We want them to celebrate his life and if there`s an opportunity to share that information with his family we will do that. 18 years young. Very sad, very sad day for Dallas," added Galicki.
