'Canada didn't have a good destiny for his parents': Boy orphaned by separate tragedies
CBC News | Posted: June 12, 2017 8:29 PM | Last Updated: June 12, 2017
Ahmad Nourani Shallo was driving to Calgary from B.C. to mark 2 years since his wife was killed
Friends and family are rallying around a little boy left orphaned by a car crash that killed his father two years after his mother died trying to stop a gas-and-dash theft in Calgary.
Ahmad Nourani Shallo was travelling to Calgary from his home in Vancouver with his eight-year-old son, Koorosh, and his second wife when they crashed on the Trans-Canada Highway near Golden, B.C.
They were heading to Calgary for the two-year anniversary of Maryam Rashidi's death.
"Everybody is crying, they're upset, they feel for the son," said friend Gina Masnadi. "Canada didn't have a good destiny for his parents. Hopefully, there's a better future for him."
RCMP release few details
RCMP in B.C. haven't released many details about the June 8 crash.
"As far as I know, [Shallo] was driving and he lost control and he went into the passing lane and hit a truck," said Masnadi.
Shallo's new wife went to hospital, where she underwent surgery for broken bones. She is expected to recover.
Koorosh was asleep in the back seat of the car and suffered only minor injuries. He is now in Vancouver with family, Masnadi said. Shallo's parents have flown to Canada from Iran to help.
The family's latest tragedy has touched many people, said Masnadi.
"Everybody is so supportive. They are calling me, texting me, asking me if we need to do any fundraising or if we need to do anything to support Koorosh," she said.
"I'm in touch with his wife's family in Vancouver. Ahmad's parents, they came to Vancouver last night, and we are waiting for them to let us know what we can do."
Offers of help for Koorosh have come from across Canada, said Ehsan Hosseini, another friend.
"It's kind of unbelievable that both incidents happened basically at the same time, two years from each other," he said. "They are all worried about the kid now."
The family is also waiting on the opening of the father's will at the end of the week, which may help determine who the boy will live with.
Couple moved here from Iran
Rashidi had moved with her husband from Iran, just four months before her death, to work as engineers in Calgary's oil and gas industry.
After both were laid off, Rashidi took a job as a gas station attendant at the Centex on 16th Avenue N.W.
She was only on her fourth shift on June 7, 2015, when she was killed trying to stop a man who attempted to drive away without paying for $113 worth of fuel.
Climbed on hood of truck
Joshua Mitchell, the man who killed Rashidi, was charged with second-degree murder in her death and was convicted of manslaughter in early May 2017.
Rashidi climbed on the hood of the vehicle, a stolen Ford F350, while it was stuck in traffic.
Mitchell tried to jostle her off, but she fell under the truck and he drove over her, causing fatal injuries.
He will be sentenced on Aug. 30.
Shallo moved to Vancouver soon after Rashidi was killed.