Toronto police say impaired driving is suspected in a crash that killed a woman in her 60s and injured two others in Etobicoke on Tuesday night.
The multi-vehicle crash happened at Albion Road and Finch Avenue West at around 11 p.m.
Police said a woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
Hasheda McCade told Global News that her sister, 64-year-old Hazela Baksh, was killed in the collision while she was on her way home from a mosque.
According to Hasheda, her sister, the eldest of eight children, would go to the mosque every night to break the fast for Ramadan.
The mosque is approximately 1.5 kilometres from the scene of the crash.
McCade said her sister was very giving, and would bring food to share with others.
McCade said the family was preparing to gather at their brother’s house on Friday to celebrate Eid.
“It was a big get together,” McCade explained. “We spend the day together as a family as we always do.”
McCade said she had become worried on Tuesday evening when she didn’t hear from Baksh. Police notified her early Wednesday morning that her sister was killed.
According to McCade, Baksh lived alone and did not have any children.
McCade added that Baksh was a wonderful aunt who loved her nieces and nephews.
“She’s always giving, very giving, very compassionate,” McCade said, adding that she is was a “very good aunt to her nieces and nephews.”
“She’d spoil them.”
McCade said she and her sister were “very close.”
“I had breast cancer three years ago and my sister was there for me – bringing me food all the time,” she explained.
McCade said she is very upset and angry, adding that the news is still sinking in and doesn’t feel real.
“She will be terribly missed, I still can’t process or accept that she’s gone,” McCade said. “It’s hard.”
Br. Salim Ameerally, the president of the Canadian Islamic Civic Academy, told Global News Baksh had been attending the mosque for 12 years and had her own chair.
He said Tuesday night, Baksh made a donation and had cooked for everyone before she left for the night.
According to Ameerally, she was famous in the community for her rice.
Ameerally said she seemed “happy” and in high spirits when he saw her on Tuesday.
“I’m in a state of shock still,” he said through tears.
Two other women in their 30s were taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, paramedics told Global News.
Police said in total there were five people involved in the crash, all of them adults.
The crash is also being investigated as suspected impaired driving as alcohol could be a factor, police said. One person was arrested on suspicion of impaired driving but no changes have been laid yet, they said.
McCade said it “makes my blood boil,” that police are investigating the incident as a suspected impaired driving collision.
“It makes me very, very angry because this shouldn’t happen,” she said.
McCade said the entire situation doesn’t feel “real.”
“You never think it could actually happen to you — to your family,” she said.
The intersection was closed as officers gathered evidence for the investigation but has since reopened Wednesday morning.
Comments