Anitha Pallavanamby cried and clutched her oldest son’s hand as she spoke in Tamil about the husband and father-of-three killed in a boat crash off Woodbine Beach earlier this month.
“She wants my dad. She wants to see him smile. She can’t live without him,” said Pallavanamby’s son, Jaiison, who at just 15 years old has suddenly become the man of the house.
Jaiison is the eldest of three children.
“I don’t know what to do. I’ve got school to worry about and my mom’s not taking care of herself properly. Our uncles are staying over, so it helps,” he explained.
It was on Sept. 3 when Elangaikon Pallavanamby went to Woodbine Beach for a day on his friend’s boat. The plan was to go to the Toronto Islands, barbeque and enjoy the end of summer.
“She (Anitha) told him to be careful, be safe and wear a life jacket,” said Jaiison, reflecting on his mother’s last conversation with his father.
Just a day earlier, the family had a small celebration for his father’s 47th birthday.
“I honestly thought he would go at an old age, not from an accident, because he was always safe. He even got a safety award from his job,” Jaiison said.
Just five minutes after Pallavanamby, who friends called Namby, left on the boat trip, the operator of the 20-foot Bowrider lost control of the boat and crashed into the rocks about 90 metres from the shoreline.
The family said Pallavanamby died from internal bleeding in the chest.
“There was bar in front of him and upon impact, his chest hit the bar,” Jaiison said.
Pallavanamby was a hardworking man who worked as an inventory controller at Exel Canada Ltd. in Mississauga.
His wife said that he would often work seven days a week when his company offered him overtime on weekends and until last year he also worked part-time at United Bakers restaurant as a chef.
His former colleagues at the bakery have started a GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign to assist the family, describing him as “a man whose bright smile warmed the room and whose integrity, dependability and genuine good nature made him endeared by all those who knew him.”
On Thursday, Toronto police charged the operator of the boat, 46-year-old Markham resident Thamilagan Olivernicholas, with criminal negligence causing death and two counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm.
Witnesses at the beach reported seeing the boat being driven very quickly near the swimming buoys and showboating before the operator lost control and struck the rocks.
The family said they are not angry with the operator of the boat.
“What use is it? That won’t bring my dad back,” Jaiison said.
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