Griva Patel, a 28-year-old woman, has been identified as one of the three people who died aboard the all-terrain tour bus that rolled off the road at the Columbia Icefield on July 18.
Vinay Patel, who was also on the bus and is recovering at Foothills Hospital from multiple fractures, says he was travelling with her family.
He said Griva had been in Canada for a year and a half, and was working on getting her education here as a nurse, something she’d already done in India.
Vinay said Griva was always eager to help in the community, and was a “very jolly, very inviting and very welcoming person.”
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There were 27 passengers on board – three died and 24 others were injured when the bus picked up speed and left the road.
Vinay’s group on the tour included 11 friends and family.
“We ended up in this tragedy,” Vinay said.
Vinay was in shock and didn’t feel the pain of his broken bones at first, so he went around the crash scene looking for his friends.
“I shouted out names for the people I went out with. A few of them responded, a few didn’t.”
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Griva’s husband was also on the bus, and had surgery on his leg. Vinay last heard he was still in critical condition.
“We are like a family here because being immigrants we don’t have immediate family members here. We support each other here and we look out for each other.”
Vinay said Griva’s parents are trying to get access to Canada to come say goodbye to their daughter, but COVID travel restrictions are making it challenging.
– With files from Carolyn Kury de Castillo
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