A Campbell River woman hopes two families can begin healing in the aftermath of a horrific Surrey traffic accident that killed five members of the same family and ultimately led to her brother’s death too.
More than 200 people attended last Saturday’s funeral in New Westminster for Daniel Gore. The 46-year-old Surrey man was behind the wheel of a van on April 28, when it sped through a red light and collided with a car killing five members of the Sachdeva family of Surrey.
Gore was on his way to work at the time and barely survived the accident. Then, a week later, died following surgery to remove a non-malignant brain tumour, only discovered after the accident.
“He never knew the result of the accident…it would have destroyed him to know,” says his sister, Leslie Kaardal of Campbell River.
According to Kaardal, it is believed Gore suffered a seizure or blackout brought on by the tumour seconds before the accident.
Gore barely survived the crash. Kaardal says paramedics on scene saved his life by having him airlifted to Royal Columbian Hospital where he was revived three times after his heart stopped.
It was only later, as doctors checked a brain scan, when they first detected the tumour. Kaardal says her brother asked about the people in the car, but wasn’t told the terrible reality because of his unstable condition.
“He was a teddy bear of a man who cared so much for everybody,” she says, wiping away tears and then smiles a little as she remembers what type of driver he was, “He was a grandpa driver.”
Kaardal says the Sachdeva family and the public should know this was a tragic accident, and her brother Danny was a caring man, who raised two great children and volunteered coaching kids hockey for many years. More importantly though, she is offering heartfelt condolences to the Sachdeva family who lost three-year-old Jessica Sachdeva, five-year-old brother Annish, aunt Neelam Dhingra, 47, grandmother Vidya Sachdeva, 68, and mother Pawandeep Arjot, 31.
“Words cannot express our sadness and we grieve with you in your loss,” says. “We would also like to send our thoughts and prayers to the first responders who attended this terrible accident scene. We cannot imagine what you had to deal with.”
– With files from Black Press