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Balloon Release Held For Southside High School Student Who Died After Car Wreck

FORT SMITH (KFSM) — A balloon release was held at on the football field at Southside High School Monday (Feb. 22) to honor the life of a student who passe...

FORT SMITH (KFSM) -- A balloon release was held at on the football field at Southside High School Monday (Feb. 22) to honor the life of a student who passed away over the weekend.

Sabastian Langland was critically injured in a car accident nine days ago in Greenwood.

“It`s really surprising actually I didn`t expect it to get this big,” Demi Selby, friend said.

Selby, who organized the balloon release, has been friends with Langland since they were in the seventh grade.

“We were really close and the crash was unexpected and it`s been rough,” she said.

Langland died Saturday (Feb. 20) from injuries he suffered in a car accident on February 13th.

“It`s always hard when you have schools as large as Southside and Northside are you`re going to have some kids periodically that end up in a bad situation of some kind,” Principal Wayne Haver said. “It may be illness, it may be a car wreck certainly it could be death, and it`s always hard when that happens.”

Selby said she organized the balloon release to help raise more money for Langland’s family. Students paid $1 for a balloon and wrote messages to Sabastian before they were released.

“I didn`t want to make it too much because we`ve been asking for a lot for him, so I just did a dollar and then if we get any donations, I`m just gonna give it to his family,” she said.

Selby said they ended up raising around $400 from the ceremony.

A friend of the family has also set up a GoFundMe page to help Langland’s family pay for funeral expenses.

His funeral is scheduled for Thursday (Feb 25).

Meanwhile, Haver said several counselors will be available all week long to talk to grieving students. Counselors also went to each of the four classes that Sabastian had at the high school.

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