The University of Victoria student who died in a car crash Friday night was a smart and popular 21-year-old who always had a smile on his face, say those who knew him.

Saanich police are still investigating what caused Matthew Daniel Pieczarka to lose control of his pickup truck while driving on Shelbourne Street toward McKenzie Avenue.

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Pieczarka went to Maple Ridge Secondary School and moved to the Island to study electrical engineering at UVic.

Charlene Jamieson, who taught Pieczarka two years in a row in high school, said despite having taught hundreds of students, she cannot forget him.

“Matt was a friendly and bright student who was a light in my room,” Jamieson said. “My thoughts are with his sister, Natalia, also a former student of mine and his loving family.”

Pieczarka was a co-op student for three months at the end of 2012 at Seeker Solutions, a Victoria software development company.

Matt Donnelly, support team leader in the company’s IT department who was Pieczarka’s supervisor, said the whole office was in shock at the news of the death of someone so bright and talented.

“It is such a tragedy. Never have I met somebody who was so full of life,” Donnelly said.

Pieczarka was a quick learner, especially with technology, and meshed with co-workers easily, Donnelly said.

“He was the happiest guy. Just constantly smiling, always cheerful and full of conversation. He was always picking people up,” Donnelly said. “He was one of those characters who really did light up a room and he was always laughing.”

He said Pieczarka and another co-op student would go to the gym every day after work and the pair’s enthusiasm eventually convinced Donnelly to join.

“It was because of Matt's persistence that I would go with them,” he said. “Matt was a really good motivator.”

Pieczarka also loved to snowboard, Donnelly said, and the two would compare notes on what mountains they had been to.

Donnelly said when he heard the news, he was overwhelmed by how many friends and family across Canada expressed their grief on Pieczarka’s Facebook page.

While witnesses told Saanich police speed appeared to be a factor, crash investigators are still piecing together what exactly happened when Pieczarka crashed into several light standards around 7 p.m. Friday.

“We’re not closed to the fact that there may have been some type of medical episode but it’s also possible that there were other types of [factors] as well,” said Saanich police spokesman Sgt. Steve Eassie.

The department is awaiting a mechanical inspection on the vehicle, a report from the traffic analyst and information from the B.C. Coroners Service which will conduct a toxicology test, a standard procedure in any fatal car crash.

Coroner Barb McLintock said the investigation can include examining medical records and speaking to doctors to determine if there were any pre-existing medical conditions.

kderosa@timescolonist.com