Daughter who lost parents in Toronto crash says she forgives BMW driver who hit them
A woman whose parents were killed in a Toronto crash earlier this week says she talked to them on the phone minutes before they died.
Ashley Avila said her mother Fatima Avila and father Valdemar Avila were sitting in traffic on Tuesday when they were rear-ended by a dark BMW.
The crash occurred around 5 p.m. at Spring Road and Parkside Drive on the east side of High Park.
Valdemar, 71, was pronounced dead at the crash scene, while Fatima, 69, died in hospital.
Avila said her parents were born in Portugal and her mother owned Leo Salon on Dundas Street West since the 70s.
"Life was cut short for them," she told CTV News Toronto on Thursday. "They don't get to see my kids grow up anymore. My kids may not even remember because they're so young."
Avila said her parents were stuck in traffic driving to Costco when the crash occurred. She said she talked to them just minutes before about the process of filing a drug prescription at the store.
"Fifteen minutes after that conversation, he was gone," she said.
Police said the 38-year-old BMW driver was travelling at a high rate of speed, but no charges have been laid.
"My dad is very religious and he believes that forgiving is the number one key in life," Avila said. "So, I forgive the driver, but I want him to understand that he took two lives. He took two lives."
The crash started a chain reaction involving five vehicles total, police say. Three other people were injured in the crash but are expected to survive.
"(They) didn't deserve to die this way, not this way," Avila said. "It's heartbreaking."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.