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LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - Sharon Allen said she forgives the driver involved in an accident that killed her daughter last month.

Allen has met with the Fort Smith teenager who was driving and his family.

Allen forgave the driver and asked him not to punish himself.

"I pray to God that he learns from this and moves on with his life," she said.

Friends and family members gathered in Fort Simpson on Dec. 11 to remember a teenager whose life was cut tragically short.

More than 40 people attended the memorial service for Keisha Trudel, 16.

Trudel will be remembered as always being happy and being very sociable, said Schaefer, from Fort Smith.

"She had a smile beautiful enough to light up every candle in the world," Schaefer said during the service.

Trudel was described as the kind of person with a unique flair.

"That's what people loved about her," Allen said. "She just had such a thirst for life."

In addition to spending time with her friends, Trudel also enjoyed music and was involved in a variety of sports.

Trudel was living in Fort Smith, where Allen is in her second year of a Bachelor's of Education at Aurora College, and attending Paul William Kaeser high school at the time of the accident.

Trudel was one of five people in a vehicle on Nov. 23 when the driver lost control on the snow covered Park Drive.

According to the Fort Smith RCMP both alcohol and speed appear to be factors in the accident. In addition, none of the occupants were wearing seatbelts.

Allen said that her family and friends have been helping her through this time.

"It's the hardest thing I've had to do," she said.

A 16-year-old boy has been charged with criminal negligence causing death and dangerous driving causing death in relation to the accident.