An Edmonton motorcycle group is remembering a member killed tragically near Camrose, Alta., earlier in May.
May 1 began as an exciting day for Sahil Kapoor: the 31-year-old set out for his first long ride, motorcycle group member Karan Malhi said.
Having been a motorcycle enthusiast in his home country of India before moving to Canada four years ago, Kapoor had recently purchased a motorbike and was looking forward to spending time with fellow riding enthusiasts, Malhi said.
“We did two stops before the incident. We filled up for gas and we stopped at Killam and it was all good. He was happy. He was telling us about his bike and that he liked long rides.”
The group of eight was riding on Highway 13 near Camrose shortly after 12 p.m. when they arrived at an area where a grassfire was causing poor visibility.
“It’s a clear highway and that’s why we always go there, but that day was unfortunate (because) there was smoke,” Malhi said.
READ MORE: Motorcyclist killed in highway crash in northern Alberta
Malhi said when the group entered the smoke, they slowed down to around 15 km/h, but two of the bikers lost control and ended up on the ground. The group pulled off to the side of the highway to help the pair.
“Sahil was in a safe zone. He came back to help… he was trying to lift the second bike. He was trying to help there and that’s when the truck hit both of them,” Malhi said.
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RCMP said a truck travelling westbound on the highway hit Kapoor and another man.
The second individual was taken to the hospital in Camrose with minor injuries, while Kapoor was airlifted to Edmonton where he died.
“He was in pain and he was in my hands,” Malhi said. “I know first aid. I was holding his neck so he didn’t move.”
READ MORE: 2 men killed in motorcycle crash on Highway 1A near Cochrane
Kapoor was expecting to be a father as his wife is pregnant with their first child.
“Sahil was a very cheerful person. He also made sure he made people feel comfortable. He was very friendly,” Kapoor’s brother-in-law Hira Singh said.
Singh said he is not surprised to hear his brother-in-law was trying to help someone at the time of the collision.
“That’s the kind of guy he was: he would help out anybody. Even if he didn’t know people, he would always reach out to help them out,” he said.
“It really hurts me that he had to go that way. He was trying to help somebody out and he lost his life. It’s a really hard time for the family.”
Singh said Kapoor’s wife is six months pregnant and has no family members in Edmonton or the surrounding area. Singh has travelled from Surrey, B.C. to Edmonton to provide support but he said Kapoor’s wife is struggling.
“Honestly, we don’t know what to do next. Seeing the condition of my sister, we can’t really say what it’s going to be like for her because I’m not in the situation (that) she is,” he said.
Malhi is hoping to provide some comfort to his friend’s wife through a GoFundMe campaign.
“They just bought a house last year, just bought a car. They have bills to pay and bills will not stop,” he said.
“We really appreciate
No charges have been laid in the fatal collision as RCMP continue to investigate the crash.
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