Man Killed in Wrong-Way California Crash Was Father of 7: Reports

Stock photo of an ambulance in Toronto. (Michael Gil via Wikimedia Commons)

A man who died on a freeway in San Francisco during a wrong-way crash was a father of seven, according to reports.

Sadat Barakazi, a friend, said 40-year-old Waheed Etimad, who was originally from Afghanistan, came to the United States four years ago. He had immigrated to the United States after working with the U.S. Army in his home country, reported KRON4.

He died after a wrong-way driver crashed head-on into the minivan he was driving.

Etimad, of Concord, died early on Feb. 3 after a driver hit his vehicle on Highway 101.

The wrong-way driver was identified as 21-year-old Kayla Wilson, of San Jose, said officials.

Wilson also died in the crash, according to KRON.

A GoFundMe campaign to help his family stated Etimad was a student in the daytime and was an Uber driver at nighttime.

“He was a very hard-working person and a family man trying to give his children a better life,” Barazaki told The Associated Press.“His family is in desperate need, they have nobody here,” Barakazi said, adding that the children’s ages are between 2 and 15.

“Waheed was a great guy a role model for most of us,” he told CBS San Francisco.

One of his passengers was transported to the hospital with serious injuries, according to officials.

The California Highway Patrol is investigating if Wilson was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash.

“It’s a normal Sunday morning, dad works nights so he isn’t home yet, mom is getting breakfast ready, while their 7 kids enjoy cartoons before breakfast,” said the GoFundMe.

It added: “They hear a knock on the door and dont think anything of it. It’s probably dad getting home from work a little later than usual. Little did the family know that behind that door was their worst nightmare. The message that these 7 kids would never see their father alive again, this wife would never hear her husbands voice again, this family would never be the same again all because of someone else’s mistake...”

The fundraising page said that he was the sole earner in the family.

“Waheed was a hardworking, family oriented man. After working with the U.S. Army in Afghanistan, he had migrated to the U.S. for a better life for him and his family,” it added.

As of Feb. 5, the page raised $177,000 out of $250,000.

Other details about the incident are not clear.

The CHP is still investigating the cause of the crash, CBS reported.

“Weather is always a factor, speed is always a factor, possible under the influence, its never a good combination,” officer Bert Diaz said.

Fatal Car Crash Statistics

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, analyzing data from the Department of Transportation, there were 37,461 deaths from car accidents in 2016, the last year full data is available for. The deaths occurred across 34,439 fatal motor vehicle accidents.

The number means 11.6 deaths per 100,000 people and 1.16 deaths per 100 million miles traveled, although those numbers can vary widely across states.

The highest deaths per 100,000 population were in Mississippi, which saw 23.1 such deaths, and the most deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled were in South Carolina, which saw 1.88 such deaths.

The majority of fatal accidents are single-vehicle crashes, the institute noted.