'She came here with a lot of dreams': Burnaby family mourning loss of 14-year-old killed in crash
Lutfullah Behzad remembers every detail from that tragic day.
“I could see two police,” said Behzad from his Burnaby, B.C., home. “They told the story that we’re sorry for you — your daughter is no more in this world.”
Muska Behzad was 14 years old. She died on the afternoon of May 5 after being struck by a dump truck while walking home from school along 11th Avenue, a street containing no sidewalks and heavy commercial truck traffic often driving in and out of a nearby construction site.
Lutfullah says his daughter was full of love and always put family first. He says her kindness is best exemplified by how she cared for her younger brother Arman, who has special needs.
“My daughter was just like a registered nurse,” said Lutfullah. “She would feed this guy, she would help me to clean this guy.”
Muska was the oldest of six children. She and her family moved to Canada less than two years ago from Afghanistan in search of a better life. Her goal was to become a doctor.
“She came here with a lot of dreams and hopes,” Lutfullah told CTV News. “She would tell me that ‘Papa, soon I will give you a big hand.’”
Since the crash, residents who live in the neighbourhood have spoken out against the City of Burnaby, saying they sent several warnings that the road’s lack of sidewalks and non-stop commercial traffic created an environment for something like this to happen.
“The cause is totally the negligence,” said Behzad. “Don’t you think this could happen to anyone else in my community?”
Developers Ledingham Mcallister and Marcon Construction said they have shared CCTV footage with police showing a neighbourhood dog darting out of its yard and startling the victim, causing her to run onto the road. Burnaby RCMP say it’s still unclear exactly what happened as the video was taken from far away and contains no sound.
Investigators have also obtained eye-witness accounts of the incident, but the cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Behzad says his wife is inconsolable, but the community’s generosity and kindness is helping the family cope with their unimaginable loss.
“The way the people console, you know, the way the people say their kind words which really means a lot to us.”
A GoFundMe, launched by a family friend to help cover funeral costs, has already surpassed its original goal of $30,000.
Muska Behzad had only just turned 14 on May 1, and the family had planned a birthday party for last Saturday, two days after she was killed.
“That’s the saddest thing, you know, it will keep hurting me and keep killing me every single day,” he father said.
The City of Burnaby says it has plans to implement safety changes to the area, including adding sidewalks in the near future.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Live updates: What star witness in Trump hush money case has said on the stand so far
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial took the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.
Police release 3D images of young child found in an Ontario river two years ago
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
Kamala Harris drops F-bomb during White House live-stream
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris used a profanity on Monday while offering advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders about how to break through barriers.
When you have a moment's notice to evacuate, what do you take?
Knowing what to have at home, or take with you for an evacuation, can be useful and even life-saving.
Western University researchers unlock potential 'cure' for ALS
New research out of London, Ont.’s Western University is shedding light on a potential cure for ALS, in which the targeting of the interaction between two proteins can halt or fully reverse the disease’s progression.
Canucks' Soucy suspended 1 game, Zadorov fined $5,000 for post-game crosschecks on McDavid
A Vancouver Canucks defenceman has been suspended for a game and another was handed a hefty fine after a scrum broke out at the end of Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers Sunday night.
'Judge Judy' Sheindlin sues for defamation over National Enquirer, InTouch Weekly stories
'Judge Judy' Sheindlin sued the parent company of the National Enquirer and InTouch Weekly on Monday for a story that she said falsely claimed that she was trying to help the Menendez brothers get a retrial after they were convicted of murdering their parents.
Wildfire smoke drifts across Canada, over parts of U.S., prompting air quality advisories
Air quality advisories are in effect across Western Canada as smoky conditions plague some areas, according to the latest forecasts. Here's where.
'A great victory for the industry': Taxi drivers celebrate ruling that found City of Ottawa negligent in allowing Uber to operate
An Ontario Superior Court judge has ruled that the City of Ottawa was negligent in its enforcement of the city's taxi bylaw when it allowed Uber to begin operating in 2014, harming the city's established taxi industry.