'This was preventable,' say friends of taxi driver killed in crash with Car2go driver

Family, friends and co-workers of a taxi driver who died after his vehicle and a Car2go collided at 1st Avenue and Renfrew Street in Vancouver Sunday morning are mourning the 28 year-old man, and preparing to say goodbye at his funeral next week.

The parents of Sanehpal Randhawa arrived from Punjab, India over the weekend, and his brother is expected to come from Australia soon.

In an interview at a Surrey home on Thursday, Randhawa's father, Bahader Singh Randhawa said there can be no bigger pain for a family than the loss of a loved one.

As he spoke, Bahader Singh Randhawa was surrounded by his son's friends.

He said his son moved to Canada 10 years ago to study computer programming and eventually took on variety of jobs.

Friends and family say Sanehpal Randhawa was working hard as a Yellow Cab driver to get his life established in Canada and had purchased a new home that he had planned to move into in the new year.

Balraj Singh, who was his roommate, described the young man as gentle, reliable and someone that he could call on for help.

"He's always here for you no matter what time."

Randhawa's friend Abhijot Solanki said friends are raising money to help his parents with expenses.

"Later on, all the money, the funds will be given to the parents and then it's their wish how they'd like to remember their son and how they'd like to use the money," said Solanki.

The Vancouver Police Department has said that it appears the Car2go driver, a man in his 20s, may have t-boned the taxi after running a red light. Investigators also said in a news release the Car2go driver may have evaded officers at a check stop for impaired driving before the collision.

At the time of the collision, Randhawa had been transporting two passengers who were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

B.C.'s civilian-led police watchdog, the Independent Investigations Office, has been notified about the incident.

Vancouver Police spokesperson, Const. Tania Visintin said Thursday the investigation is complex and will take time to complete.

"The driver of the Car2go is still in hospital in critical condition," Visintin said. "He is unable to speak to police, so an interview has not been conducted."

Randhawa's family and friends say the crash should never have happened.

"This was preventable," said Solanki. "He (Randhawa) should have been here right now if that person didn't decide to get behind the wheel that day, our friend, our brother would be here with us."

The funeral will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 8 at Riverside Funeral Home in Delta, B.C.