Fueled by cocaine, cannabis and alcohol, 44-year old Mohamed Shariff Abdi crashed his taxi into a utility pole at 74 kilometres an hour – nearly double the 40 kilometre an hour speed limit on Victoria’s Gorge Road East.
Abdi, who had been employed with Yellow Cab of Victoria as a night driver since 2004, was killed on impact. His three young passengers escaped the wreckage alive, but two of them were critically hurt.
“I’m really shocked to learn he was under the influence of alcohol and drugs,” Surinder Kang, the operations manager for Yellow Cab of Victoria, said.
A recently released coroner’s report into the July 2015 crash reveals speed, failure to wear a seatbelt and impairment by cocaine, alcohol and cannabis were all contributing factors.
Abdi, who had a history of alcohol and drug abuse, had joined his three passengers inside a nightclub shortly after 1: 40 a.m. on July 3, where he was seen drinking. According to Kang, Abdi signed off the work system around 2:00 a.m., 30 minutes before the deadly collision.
“Given the level of cocaine detected, and the addictive effect of the presence of alcohol and cannabis, it is likely that Mr. Abdi’s ability to operate a motor vehicle was impaired,” wrote coroner Lori Moen.
“The passengers were very, very lucky. This could have been an even worse tragedy,” said NDP Justice Critic Mike Farnworth.
Earlier this year, the public caught an impaired taxi driver in Surrey. Three young women called a cab to get to a birthday party on June 24, only to have a drunk driver show up.
“At first I thought maybe he was flustered, busy or something. Until he drove right up onto the lawn and almost hit the For Sale sign,” recalled Bryanna, one of the passengers. The Pacific Cabs driver, who RCMP say failed a roadside breath test, was fired.
“We do not tolerate unsafe and illegal driving operations like this,”said BC Taxi Association president Mohan Kang.
Apart from an annual criminal record check to retain a chauffeur’s permit, the B.C. taxi industry is largely self-policed. Drivers say it works for the most part, with many cab companies appointing driver safety committees to supervise the other drivers on shift.
The chances of finding an impaired taxi driver are “very, very rare” according to Yellow Cab Vancouver president Kulwant Sahota, who is also with the Vancouver Taxi Association.
“If I see somebody that’s doing it, I’ll make sure they are brought in and they’re not driving on the road,” he said.
“The taxi industry can’t drop their guard and government cannot relax. These kinds of driving practices are just unacceptable,” Farnworth said.
BC’s Passenger Transportation Branch is reviewing the coroner’s report in the fatal Yellow Cab crash. If it determines the company could reasonably have known Abdi was operating under the influence, it could issue a fine of up to $1500 or penalties including suspension or cancellation of the licence.
Yellow Cab of Victoria says it is still coming to grips with the coroner’s findings, which came as a complete shock.
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