‘We can never hold our child in our hands again’
Couple share pain of losing family killed during police chase
A father who survived a horrific crash in Whitby, after police chased a robbery suspect heading the wrong way on Highway 401, said in a statement Sunday that he and his wife are “at a complete loss of words” following the deaths of his parents and three-month-old son.
The family members of Gokulnath Manivannan, 33, and Ashwitha Jawahar, 27, were among the victims of last Monday’s deadly sixvehicle crash, the culmination of a high-speed pursuit by Durham Regional Police that’s now the focus of a complex investigation by Ontario’s police watchdog.
“We are at a complete loss of words to describe the agony and vacuum in our hearts knowing we can never hold our child Aditya Vivaan, who gave us so many precious memories in such a short time, in our hands again,” Manivannan wrote in a statement provided to the Star by the Special Investigations Unit.
“His small toys and clothes remain spread around our home, and we have no courage in us to even enter our home which is filled with our only son’s memories.”
The grandparents, Manivannan Srinivasapillai and Mahalakshmi Ananthakrishnan, had landed in Canada just two days before the crash. “My mother and father were visiting us from Chennai, India, with the sole purpose of spending time with their grandson,” Manivannan added.
Srinivasapillai, a 60-year-old retiree, had been eagerly awaiting a “year of grandparents fun,” as he had described it to Manivannan and Jawahar. Ananthakrishnan, 55, “was eagerly anticipating every moment with her son and grandson, planning to make their stay all about her grandchild,” he added.
Now, the aftermath of the crash has “left an indelible mark on our lives, with profound grief,” Manivannan wrote. His wife is still recovering from surgeries, and he himself is dealing with the pain from physical injuries sustained in the crash.
Funeral arrangements have been made for the grandparents and the child at funeral homes in Markham and Toronto, Manivannan said.
“While we begin the arduous journey of planning farewells for our loved ones, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to the community who hold our family in their thoughts,” Manivannan said. “Amidst these challenging circumstances, we kindly ask for the space to heal in private.”
At least six Durham police cars sped the wrong way down Highway 401, one of Canada’s busiest highways, in pursuit of a U-Haul van driven by a man accused of robbing an LCBO on the evening of April 29.
Just after 8 p.m., the man driving the van hit an oncoming car east of Highway 412, in Whitby, killing four: a baby, the infant’s grandparents and the male suspect the police had been chasing, while a fifth person was taken to hospital. At least six vehicles, including a white semi-trailer, were involved in the fiery crash.
The collision — which has led to questions about why police would launch a high-speed pursuit the wrong way down the 401 — is under review by the Special Investigations Unit, the civilian police watchdog that probes deaths and serious injuries involving police.
A police report obtained by the Star revealed that Durham Regional Police officers were told to stop their chase of the van, but continued anyway.
One of the officers said they believed the police presence on the highway would “alert the public that something was wrong and hopefully they see the suspect vehicle to get out of the way,” according to the report, which is intended to capture the officer’s detailed account of what transpired, and which was seen by the Star.
The collision occurred roughly three minutes after a senior officer had tried to call off the chase, according to the report.
“Someone’s going to get hurt,” an unidentified Ontario Provincial Police officer said over the radio shortly before the crash.
While we begin the arduous journey of planning farewells for our loved ones, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to the community who hold our family in their thoughts.
GOKULNATH MANIVANNAN FAMILY MEMBER OF VICTIMS