The woman killed when the taxi she was in suddenly lost control, crashing into a bus, was battling cancer and on her way to a radiation appointment at the time.

Ines Puleio was in the back of a taxi on Nov. 1 near Avenue Road and Lawrence Avenue when the driver reportedly lost control of his car, slammed into multiple vehicles and eventually into the rear of a TTC bus.

She was rushed to hospital for treatment but died a short time later.

The driver, a City Taxi employee, was also seriously hurt.

Puleio’s friend, Christine Givens told CTV News Toronto that the grandmother was on her way to her first radiation appointment when she died.

“This is a woman who has gone through chemotherapy, the surgery, successfully, now doing radiation,” Given, who is also battling cancer, said.

“This is somebody who could’ve – and would’ve – beaten cancer, and here she is passing away because of something like a car accident.”

Puleio’s son David has set up a GoFundMe Page to help cover the costs of a funeral.

In a post accompanying the fundraising effort, David writes that his mother died from internal bleeding.

Puleio leaves behind a husband of 38 years, two children and two grandchildren.

She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018.

“We are struggling trying to cope with the loss and question, why? How? The ‘what ifs’ haunt us every day,” the post reads.

“Such a beautiful strong woman who loved with all of her being fought a good fight only to have it unfortunately end her life this way.”

Toronto police are still investigating the crash, which occurred during a dark and rainy evening, just after 5 p.m.

City Taxi has been cooperating with officers in their investigation.

Givens said the devastated family hopes to donate any extra funds raised to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

“Any dollar, one dollar, five dollars, anything could help,’ she said.

“Keep in mind this is a family that’s obviously suffering a tragic loss when they were already in a mode of suffering, if you will.”

You can donate to the GoFundMe here.

With files from CTV News Toronto's John Musselman