Sixteen-year-old Melissa Tomac should have been starting Grade 11 at Burnaby Central on Tuesday.

But Melissa's family is now grieving her death after a fatal car crash on Sept. 2 in Port Moody.

"It's ripped my heart out, and my life's never going to be the same," said father Mario on Tuesday morning. "What I'll always remember about my daughter is her pretty little face smiling at me each morning. ... She was always giving me hugs and kisses. She was the best girl in the world."

The accident occurred shortly after a group of four teens, two males and two females, all from Burnaby, were leaving White Pine Beach Thursday night.

The 19-year-old driver of a 1990 white Honda Civic tried passing another vehicle around a blind corner on Bedwell Bay Road and ultimately lost control of the vehicle, which veered off the road and struck a tree.

According to Const. Luke van Winkel of the Port Moody Police, Bedwell Bay Road is a 50 km/h zone, with several 30 km/h zone curves.

All four teenage occupants were injured and transported to Royal Columbian Hospital.

According to van Winkel, Melissa had been sitting in the rear passenger seat. The other three were treated for their injuries, with the most serious injuries to the other female in the car, who was taken to Royal Columbian Hospital for surgery.

The accident has been attributed to high speeds and driver inexperience, and police are investigating whether alcohol played a factor in the incident.

"At this point, we're still waiting for results from crash analysts," said van Winkel. "But witnesses reported it was above speed limit. Speed is a problem on all of our roads with drivers of every age, but there is particular concern with young drivers who are inexperienced and who don't know how to handle the vehicle they're driving."

Mario said that in the details of the accident the police gave to him, the driver should never have tried to pass the other car.

"I went out to the site to try and put some flowers," he said. "There are a lot of blind corners and you never try to pass on a blind corner."

Mario said because of the Labour Day long weekend, he was still finalizing details on his daughter's service on Tuesday afternoon.

"I have to be strong for my wife and son," said Mario. "We have all been devastated by this accident."