Ontario father watches son — his ‘bike buddy’ — die in motorcycle crash

The father of a 19-year-old university student who died after a crash in Windsor, Ont., says his son was doing what he loved before his death, riding his motorcycle.

Hashmat Bhatti says he was just metres behind Ali Hashmat when his Suzuki GSX-R600 motorcycle collided with a car making a left turn onto the E.C. Row Expressway from Dougall Avenue.

Hashmat, a second-year business student at the University of Windsor, was pronounced dead in hospital not long after the incident on the evening of April 28.

“He was like my bike buddy,” Bhatti recalls.

“It was really, really enjoyable to ride with him and he actually made me live at this age.”

Bhatti says riding was a shared passion after buying the then-12-year-old Ali his first e-bike, which would eventually be upgraded to a full-size motorcycle when he reached 18.

“So I immediately put him in (motorcycle) school, it was like a weekend course, you know …  learning curves and we both went and got our licence,” said Bhatti, who is almost 50.

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Hashmat, born in Calgary, moved with his parents and three siblings to Windsor in 2018 when he was in high school.

Bhatti says Ali was seeking a “double degree” with a long-term goal of becoming a real estate lawyer after obtaining his first licence to practise before he was 20.

“The average person takes two years. He only took four months, so he was that sharp,” Bhatti boasted about Hashmat’s completing a Humber College program.

Windsor police say the driver of the vehicle that hit Hashmat, an SUV, stayed at the scene.

The investigation into the crash is ongoing and police are still seeking witnesses.

Friends, family and co-workers continue to remember Hashmat through social media as a dynamic entrepreneur and activist following his funeral last week.

A GoFundMe campaign is seeking to raise money for a charity close to his heart that fights to end poverty.

“Ali always wanted to end poverty by providing Windsor with better homes and a better life,” Bhatti said.

“This was one of the reasons why he became a real estate agent.”

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May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, and Bhatti hopes riders will take the time to improve their skills in light of the fatal crash.

He’s also asking drivers sharing the road with the bikes to keep an eye out for those on two wheels.

“I just wanted to tell everybody … look out for bikers,” he said.

“We all have one road to ride on for cars, trucks (and) bikes. So we have to be careful out there.”