Man killed in crash came for better life
A young father who died on Oct. 21 after being struck by an SUV a few days before had only moved to Victoria in August, with the hopes of providing a better life for his wife and four-year-old son.
Khushal Rana, 31, left behind his pregnant wife, who is expecting twins.
Narpinder Bawa, an owner of Sizzling Tandoor, the restaurant where Rana was a chef, said Rana died surrounded by three friends, including Narpinder’s husband, Gurinder Bawa. Rana’s wife was so distraught, a doctor advised her to rest at home.
Blomsingh Inda, who worked as a chef alongside Rana at Sizzling Tandoor’s Uptown location but also knew him from India, said Rana was down-to-earth, hardworking and determined to provide a stable life for his family.
Rana worked with Inda’s brother at the Fairmont Jaipur, while Inda worked at the Jaipur Marriott Hotel.
Rana saved enough money to immigrate to Canada, moving to Surrey in 2013, Inda said. His wife joined him in Canada less than a year ago.
Inda said he and his brother were thrilled when Rana told them he was moving to Victoria. They helped him get a job at Sizzling Tandoor and find a house.
Rana came from a humble background, growing up in Tehri Garhwal in the state of Uttarakhand in northern India. He had little education, but was determined to make a good living and put his kids in private school, Inda said.
Rana had talked to Inda about organizing a party once his twins were born.
“He was enjoying the life after a long period of struggle,” Inda said.
Rana had just finished celebrating his son’s fourth birthday and was heading to a bus stop to get to work when he was struck by an SUV at about 11:30 a.m. on Gorge Road West.
The vehicle rolled into a nearby park and hit a tree before stopping. The 25-year-old driver was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Saanich police said the investigation into what caused the crash is ongoing.
“A number of officers from the Saanich police crash analyst team were at the scene of the crash for many hours securing and collecting evidence,” said Saanich police spokesman Sgt. Jereme Leslie, adding such investigations can take several months to determine the cause of a crash
Rana was taken to Victoria General Hospital in critical condition. Doctors amputated a leg, and he never regained consciousness.
Bawa said the four-year-old hasn’t seen his father since the accident. It was felt the experience might be too traumatic after the birthday party, he said. “The poor little fellow doesn’t even know what has happened to Dad.”
Rana’s wife speaks little English and has no family in Canada.
Her mother in India is trying to arrange a trip, but passports and visas can be difficult to process, said Bawa, whose family is working to arrange a funeral for their friend.
Donations are being collected for Rana’s family at Sizzling Tandoor and a page has been set up at gofundme.com.