Friends mourn loss of man run over trying to help stranded motorist
Andrew Green was an avid amateur mechanic who worked hard and died doing something friends say was part of his nature — trying to help a stranger.
The 46-year-old was struck and killed Wednesday night after stopping to help another motorist change a flat tire on Anthony Henday Drive.
“It’s not the first time he’s done stuff like that,” said roommate and longtime friend Teru Skinner. “If he saw somebody who needs help, and he can help them, then he’d do it.”
The hit-and-run happened on the southbound Henday, in the city’s northwest quadrant, around 11:20 p.m.
Green had just finished up his afternoon shift at Sonar Logistics, and was only 10 kilometres from home when he stopped to help.
Police spokesman Scott Pattison said Green was bending down to put a reflective hazard triangle on the road when he was struck by a dark-coloured vehicle that drove off.
Green moved to Edmonton six months ago from the Ontario after a divorce. Described as a “jack of all trades,” he once worked at a performance car shop in Pickering, 30 kilometres east of Toronto.
“He was a big part of the car culture in east-end Toronto,” Jason Allen said. “He was always cracking jokes.”
David Stoliker lived across the street from Green in Oshawa for about eight years. He recalled a friendly, jovial and selfless man who could be counted on for anything.
“He got along with everyone because he never took himself so seriously. That was Andrew.”
Knowing nobody except for Skinner, his good friend of 20 years, Green was looking to land an apprenticeship as a sprinkler installer when he moved to Alberta.
“This was going to be his opportunity to start and do that for himself,” Skinner said. “My friends became his friends, and he made his own friends, and touched lives because that’s what he did because he’s a good person.”
Green was a self-taught mechanic with a passion for motorcycles. He bought a Suzuki sport bike on a recent trip to Calgary and kept it in pristine condition.
“Stuff like that made him happy but he worked hard,” said Skinner. “To buy his first house I remember how hard he worked to save up and do it, and he was so proud.”
Skinner said he was saddened by the thought his friend never saw the Rocky Mountains.
“He hadn’t gone to see the mountains yet, because he was waiting for our friends so we could go see them together,” Skinner said.
Friends posted condolences and photos on Facebook Thursday as news began to spread about the hit and run.
Skinner said he spent much of his time on the phone and online speaking to people about his friend.
“Everywhere Andrew went he touched people’s lives because he was so generous with his time,” he said.