A fundraiser has been started to support the family of a Surrey man who died after a head-on collision between two semi trucks last week.
A portion of Highway 17 closed for nearly a full day and three people were taken to hospital after the crash on the evening of July 16.
The Surrey RCMP says the driver and passenger of one the tractor trailers, a 44-year-old man and a 64-year-old man, were released from hospital after receiving medical assessment.
Sandeep Singh Cheema, the 41-year-old driver of the other truck, died from his injuries.
According to the GoFundMe campaign, started by Cheema’s brother-in-law Kiran Singh, he was a husband and beloved father to two daughters who are six and two years old.
Singh says Cheema was making a turn off Highway 17 toward his workplace when the crash happened. Cheema was reportedly about to “park his semi-trailer truck for the night and head home to his wife and daughters.”
“Sandeep was one turn away from finishing his shift, and reuniting with his family,” said Singh.
He says Cheema immigrated to Surrey in 2012 after his own father died in a car crash that year.
As of Monday afternoon, Singh and donors had raised over $58,000 to support Cheema’s surviving family.
“Your generous contributions will help the family repay his debts, provide support for their housing needs, and keep them afloat for a while. Your support will ensure that the family can honor Sandeep’s memory and heal with a little less monetary strain,” the fundraiser said.
Singh says Cheema died after “fighting for his life” for several days in the intensive care unit.
“While Sandeep might be gone, his infectious spirit and his love for life are survived by his daughters and his wife. Sandeep’s organs have also been donated so someone else’s life can be saved.”