17-Year-Old Waltham High Student Dies After Motorcycle Crash

WALTHAM, MA — Waltham High School rising senior Mac Surette, 17, died Sunday after suffering serious injuries when his motorcycle collided with a car on Main Street last week. Just around 5:30 p.m. near the 500 block of Main Street, Surette was involved in a crash that had Main Street closed off for several hours Wednesday. An ambulance rushed the teen to Newton-Wellesley Hospital before transferring him to Mass General Hospital.

The driver of the car, a 52-year-old Roslindale woman, was also rushed to the hospital with unknown injuries.

"We are shocked and saddened by this tragic event. As a school community we express our heartfelt condolences to Mac's family and friends," reads an email Waltham High School Principal Paul Maiorano sent to the high school community.

RELATED: Who was Mac Surette?

The email came so that families could discuss the tragedy with their children, he said. The school offered councilors for anyone in the community to reach out to, should they need to.

"As a school staff, we encourage you to listen carefully to your child, answering questions openly and honestly. Accepting your child’s feelings and validating them is beneficial. There is no way to predict how this tragedy might affect your child, but changes in behavior might be a signal that your child may need assistance to deal with a death of a friend," Maiorano said in the email.

Shortly after the school sent out the email, Alex Rivera a friend of Surette from auto class said when he and friends from class heard they all wanted to do something. So Rivera took to GoFundMe to do something.

"[M]ac Surette was not only a funny kid, but he was caring always put others ahead of himself when he was down he would still find a way to make people laugh," he wrote. "[H]e was like a brother to me and [I] want to raise money for a funeral and memorial service in his honor even a dollar helps."

Rivera didn't spend much time with Mac outside of class, but in class they were close. He remembers when Mac bought the motorcycle.

"I don't remember where he bought it," he said. "But he was so excited to drive it."

A few hours in the fund raised a little more than $100. A day in, folks had donated more than $1,000.

Did you know Mac? Email us your memories and photos you took of him at Waltham@patch.com and we'll include it an upcoming story.

In 2016, according to the CDC, some 2,433 teens in the United States between the ages of 16 and 19 were killed and some 292,742 were treated in emergency departments for injuries suffered in motor vehicle crashes. That translates to some six teens died every day because of auto crashes and hundreds more were injured.

Previously: Waltham Teen Seriously Injured In Motorcycle Crash

RELATED: Who was Mac Surette?

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).