"No mother, no father, no family should face this," said Chantal Lauzon.
Monday marked a day of heartbreak for the owners of Maple Ridge Store in Thessalon after they learned their son Dawson Coulter-Lauzon had passed away after falling from a radio tower ten minutes outside the town.
Lauzon is Dawson's mother and could sense something was off that day.
"When he didn't answer his messages, our gut knew something was different," she says. "We thought he had gone for a farther walk. 17-year-old boys do things, we thought maybe he just decided to see how far he could walk that day."
After an hours long search stretching between Webbwood and the Sault, Dawson's body was found at the base of the radio tower outside of Thessalon on Monday.
Understandably, Lauzon was hesitant to speak with SooToday so soon after her son's accident. But she wanted to advocate for better fencing to be installed around the area of the tower at 78 Brownlee Road so a similar incident doesn't happen again.
"We want to help invoke change," she says. "There are spots where kids could walk through the fence. The site isn't secure, there's no gate, and no signs that say no trespassing. For a tower big enough for an airplane to hit it, there needs to be better fencing."
Dawson's mom noted there's a small sign on the gate specifying the tower may not be up to code, but there's no clear indicators that mark the area as unsafe, and says it was an accident waiting to happen.
While it's unknown why Dawson climbed the tower that day, Lauzon notes it was very normal for her son to go on walks and sit near its base.
"He used to go sit on the platform to think because it was quiet and secluded," she says. "He loved nature and he loved the outdoors, and when he needed space and quiet to think that's where he went. It wasn't uncommon for him to go for a walk to think."
Dawson is described as a bubbly, outgoing, and joyful person who will be incredibly missed by his friends and family, including his parents Chantal and Craig, as well as his two younger siblings Kaiden and Madison.
"This kid loved life," Lauzon says. "He was more worried about everyone else. He filled the room with light and laughter every time he walked in. Our home is so dreadfully quiet without him."
A GoFundMe has been organized to assist with end-of-life costs, as well as to help the family with their cost of living as they take time away from running Maple Ridge Store. The link can be found here: https://gofund.me/c3efc5b6
Above all, Lauzon wants to share her son's story to make sure another family doesn't have to endure a similar tragedy.
"If we can save just one kid, one family this kind of heartache, I will scream it from the rooftops."
