Six Killed, 19 Injured In Abbotsford Crash

[waheguru_fateh]

ABBOTSFORD, B.C. — Instead of celebrating their daughter’s wedding on Sunday, a prominent Indo-Canadian family is mourning the deaths of six family members and friends killed in a tragic accident in southwestern British Columbia.

More than 30 women and children were walking down the two-lane road late Friday when they were struck from behind by a 1981 Chevy pickup.

Three men and three women, ranging in age from 14 to the mid-50s, died at the scene and 17 others were injured. The youngest victims are a four-month old baby and a seventh-month old baby.

Most of the victims were related, Abbotsford Sgt. Amar Kingra said Saturday.

The group was participating in a traditional Indian wedding ritual called “Jaago” where mostly female members of the bride’s family walk together from the house of a close family friend to the bride’s residence.

Some of the group was walking on the road and others on the side, he said. They were singing and reportedly wearing ornamental lights on their heads when the pickup rammed into them, pushing some into a two-metre ditch and pinning them underneath.

The driver, a 71-year-old Indo-Canadian man, also lives in the area, neighbours said.

A car that was supposed to be tailing the large group with its flashers on as a safety precaution was turning to get into position when the crash happened, police said. The group had started walking before the car was in place, Kingra added.

Const. Casey Vinet described the scene as “chaos” when emergency crews arrived.

“I have been told by one of our senior officers with over 20 years experience that this is the most difficult scene that he has ever witnessed,” he said at a news conference today.

Vinet said the driver was questioned and released without charges. Investigators have ruled out alcohol and drugs and said speed also doesn’t look like a factor.

“The driver is shocked, very shocked,” Vinet said.

“It’s too early to tell if any charges will be laid at this stage. But I’ve been told the driver was suffering from symptoms of shock. He hit the crowd, drove into the crowd from behind. There were dry conditions at the time, given it was a rural area, it was also very dark — certainly that played a factor.”

Police have seized the pickup and will conduct a mechanical inspection.

Fourteen ambulances, two helicopters and numerous off-duty officers were called to the crash location near a blueberry farm.

There were around 200 to 300 people sitting underneath tents at the farm as part of the wedding celebration when the incident occurred. The farm has been owned by Avtar Mahal, the bride’s father for the past 25 years.

The bride, named Simran, and the groom, believed to be from the Gural family, were not part of the Jaago celebrations and were uninjured.

A local counsellor said the wedding which is still set to go on today, was planned for as many as 500 guests, but will now only have five members from each family attend.

Guests had flown in from California, Alberta and India, he said.

Some of the victims were in stable condition today at various hospitals. The two youngest victims were transferred to BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver.

The seventh-month old is is still in serious condition.

Vancouver Sun

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national...129&k=52403

*EDITED*

[Carpe Diem]

:D Vaheguroo.... thats really saddening...

[S1ngh]

File Pictures of deceased.

[Medallion Stallion]

File Pictures of deceased.

Rest In Peace.

[Heera Singh]

Vaheguru...

[guess who]

http://www.thestar.com/News/article/250168

Waheguruuuuuuuu

[waheguru_fateh]

saddening especially cuz some people were soo young, and the babies

[KhalsaMan]

Sorry to the victims.

I'm not going to make too many friends for this next paragraph but, bare with me. Newspaper is reporting that the 71-year old driver was taken out of his truck and beaten. Um, anyone else find that really disturbing? Everything happens for a reason. It's not like he intentionally hit them. To those who beat the man, what are you thinking? Your friends and family are bleeding on the road and you go and beat the man? What the heck is wrong with people?

[N30S1NGH]

Sorry to the victims.

I'm not going to make too many friends for this next paragraph but, bare with me. Newspaper is reporting that the 71-year old driver was taken out of his truck and beaten. Um, anyone else find that really disturbing? Everything happens for a reason. It's not like he intentionally hit them. To those who beat the man, what are you thinking? Your friends and family are bleeding on the road and you go and beat the man? What the heck is wrong with people?

I dont think he was beaten however just yelled at, i think by looking at the emotions of people who saw their loved oned perish in instant, reaction is quite expected. He himself said when he got off the truck, he said i m already half dead after seing what i never intended to do, please someone kill me. I saw his picture on global, just stood in shock and covered with blood. I really feel sorry for this old chap, imagine regardless if he gets charged in future or not after full investigation its been done, i dont think he will charged since police already ruled out sharab, drugs or motive. But regardless he will pychologically get haunted by this. Media and police still describe him that he is in shock, media tries to get him behind the camera, driver family members told the media, that right now he is too fragile to face the camera..even though he is not guilty it was just an unintentional mistake/accident, it appears that he is dying slowly inside because he cannot handle the guilt he is going through.

My prayers are with the family who lost love ones, my prayers are also with this person who killed these people in un-intentionally accident.

In this incident, no one is guilty all are victims, may guru give his asra on family who losed love ones and also this bhujruj who is not able to cope with guilt, may guru give him soojhi of his hakum and make him recover/cope from this terrible incident.

[buddasingh]

Nicely said Namstang.

I saw the news footage you are speaking of on the net and additional footage. I would not be so sure that the man you saw was in fact the driver. The media has in separate news footages referenced the driver and it seems in at least one if not both randomly but intentionally zoomed in on two different elderly people. At least one, if not both, was not driving.

Getting anything or anyone in the shot that goes with the dialogue is common media practice. I would say more so with minorities. It is unfortunate the media has little regard for these things in a tragedy like this. It could very well be a person who got hit or who lost a child or loved one who they are referencing as the driver. It does not mean much to most of us who may not know anyone, but to those who watch and know people involved it can be very upsetting.