Staff from School District 71’s critical response team spent the day at Aspen Park Elementary School Monday following the death of a classmate who died Sunday afternoon in a collision on Highway 19. Marissa Jade Bridge, 12, from Comox, along with her father Michael David Anderson, 39, of Duncan, died Sunday afternoon during a crash near the Alberni cutoff that also killed a Nanaimo man.According to Oceanside RCMP, Bridge and Anderson were in a green Nissan Pathfinder that was travelling northbound near Exit 51 shortly before 4:30 p.m.RCMP note the Pathfinder left the highway, travelled across the grass median and into the southbound lanes, where it struck a southbound blue Ford pickup truck head-on.Traffic was detoured for some time Sunday evening while investigators continued to examine the crash scene. On their website, Aspen Park Elementary School posted a note expressing their sympathy to the girl’s family.They added parents could also visit a link to a website named Understanding Grief to help with resources for teens and death.A Facebook page has been created to share memories about Marissa.The cause of the crash remains under investigation, but anyone with information or who witnessed the crash is asked to contact Central Vancouver Island Traffic Services at 250-248-6111.photos@comoxvalleyrecord.com

Comox Valley Record