Students stand at the memorial site at McBride High School for the 17-year-old student who was killed Tuesday in a motorcycle crash. Photo by Valerie Osier.

Some bystanders could see what was about to happen right before a pickup truck collided with a motorcyclist Tuesday, throwing the 17-year-old rider from his bike, according to two witnesses.

Two off-duty nurses and others rushed to try to save the life of the victim, a McBride High School student who later died at the hospital. Authorities haven’t publicly released the teenager’s name.

The memorial site at McBride High School for the 17-year-old student who was killed Tuesday in a motorcycle crash. Photo by Valerie Osier.

Police said a pickup truck smashed into the teenage motorcyclist at the intersection of Gondar Avenue and Wardlow Road. The driver never saw the bike, according to authorities.

“A very kind citizen, Lily, tried to save him,” said Darlene Seel, who witnessed the accident. She didn’t know Lily’s last name, only that she was a nurse whose son recently died.

Another off-duty nurse, Caroline Jordan, said she was also at the victim’s side, trying to administer CPR. Jordan said the nurses were able to get the teenager breathing for a short time—but they could tell his brain was badly injured.

A young motorcyclist was killed in a crash in Long Beach October 23, 2018. Photo by Thomas R Cordova.

Seel called both women “angels of mercy” as she tried to tidy up and add more flowers to a small memorial at the intersection Wednesday afternoon.

“I couldn’t sleep last night, I had to do something,” Seel said, so she came to the crash site.

Seel said she could see her own son in the victim’s face as Jordan and Lily were trying to save the boy.

“I couldn’t stop hugging my kids,” Seel said.

She taped a sign to a light pole near the crash site that said “please slow down.”

A woman who witnessed the death of a 17-year-old motorcyclist taped a sign up on the corner of Wardlow Road and Gondar Avenue urging drivers to slow down. Photo by Valerie Osier.

“My heart goes out to his parents,” Jordan said.

Later, classmates and friends of the victim came to pay their respects. The victim’s father went to the site and thanked the teens for being there. He told them he and his son had a good relationship.

Students and classmates of the victim silently gathered at another memorial site Wednesday afternoon: the spot where the victim parked his motorcycle every day.

Motorcycle crash victim was a beloved friend and student at McBride High School

Friends scrawled notes to the victim in chalk, filling the cordoned-off spot with inside jokes, promises, poems and messages of love.

“Fly high, angel.”

“Keep shredding.”

“I’m gonna keep a beach ball for ya.”

“I’ll listen to the album, I luv you.”

School administrators and counselors stood nearby as students silently cried and hugged each other while staring at the memorial.

Valerie Osier is the Social Media & Newsletter Manager for the Long Beach Post. Reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @ValerieOsier