SOUTH DEERFIELD — Hundreds of donors have contributed so far to an online fundraiser for the family of Cole Baranoski, the teenager who was killed in a single-vehicle crash Nov. 13.

By Nov. 15, the GoFundMe page had raised nearly $17,000. The fundraiser had surpassed its goal of $5,000 within hours of opening Nov. 14.

Money raised will assist the Baranoski family with expenses, according to the fundraising page, and additional funds will be donated in Cole’s name to youth baseball.

Baranoski, 18, of South Deerfield, was a senior at Frontier Regional School.

“He was one of those kids who could cheer you up. When he was around other kids, he was a positive energy,” said Dan Harper, who organized the online fundraiser. Harper had coached Baranoski in a local baseball league, and is friends with his family.

“He was one of the goofy kids on the team. He was maybe not always following the rules. He would march to the beat of his own drum,” Harper said. “He had this infectious smile. It just warmed your heart.”

David Baranoski, Cole’s great-uncle, said, “I can only say he was a kind guy who just turned 18 a day ago,” noting he didn’t have much information about the accident. “Sadly, with youth comes the feeling of indestructibility. Only with age do we learn just how fragile we are.”

Police responded at around 5 a.m. Friday to a report of a single-vehicle crash at the intersection of Mill Village and Lee roads, according to a statement from the Northwestern district attorney’s office.

When police arrived, they found the driver, Baranoski, had been ejected from the vehicle. He was transported to Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield, where he was pronounced dead.

The two passengers, both of whom have been identified as former students of Frontier Regional School, were transported to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield.

One passenger has since been released, while the other remains at the hospital in stable condition, according to the district attorney’s office.

The crash remains under investigation by the Deerfield Police Department and the state police detective unit attached to the Northwestern district attorney’s office, with the assistance of the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section.

Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne