Jilly Song, along with her two brothers and their mother, is struggling to move past December 30, 2022. That day changed everything for them forever.
Their father and husband of 32 years, Danyang Song, left home before 5 a. m. to head to Vaughan, Ont., where he worked as a plumber. The family had been looking forward to the half-day he was going to work so he could come back for a pre-New Year’s celebration they had planned for that evening.
Instead, police showed up at their Whitby, Ont., home with the heartbreaking news that Danyang had died. It felt even more real when an officer handed them his personal belongings.
“I just remember this very clearly. They just handed us his phone and wallet because when they said it, nobody believed that. It was the day before New Year’s. I just saw him the night before,” Jilly said as tears welled in her eyes.
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The Song family later found out that Danyang had been hit head-on by a wrong-way driver on Highway 401 westbound near Brock Road in Pickering around 5 a. m. He was pronounced dead at the scene. A third vehicle was also involved in the crash. Authorities reported that two others were taken to the hospital with injuries.
The driver who was going eastbound in the westbound lanes and collided with Danyang’s car, 25-year-old Shamar Gilkes, has been charged with impaired driving, dangerous driving, and failing to provide a breath sample causing death and bodily harm. Gilkes was scheduled to appear in an Oshawa courtroom this week as the case remains pending.
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Get breaking Canada news delivered to your inbox as it happens so you won’t miss a trending story. Jilly describes her dad as the “brick” of their family and its main provider financially. Her older brother and younger brother shared how much their father loved computers and gaming-something he passed on to all of them. “Some of the games I used to play, I don’t really enjoy them anymore. Like maybe I’m scared to play them because my dad played the same games,” said Danyang’s 28-year-old son, whose name has chosen not to reveal for privacy reasons. The family also feels angry about how their father died. “We’re always safe drivers. We always ensure we’re in the best condition to drive. If we go over to our friend’s house and if we drink, they let us stay overnight. We did nothing wrong but now we have to deal with this pain for possibly forever,” added the eldest son. Story continues below Danyang’s youngest child is an 18-year-old studying computer science at university; he recalls learning about drunk driving dangers back in high school but says it never felt real until his father lost his life. More on Crime More videos “Even though there are so many ways to avoid drunk driving, there are still some people who make that choice,” said the 18-year-old, whom has also agreed not to name. The family mentioned they haven’t yet told Danyang’s elderly father living in China about his son’s passing due to worries over how it might impact him since he’s battling cancer. “My aunt is concerned that if she tells him what happened, it might be too much for him,” explained the eldest son. The Songs wish to express their gratitude toward those who’ve supported them through a Go Fund Me campaign that’s raised over $40,000 along with other forms of help from community members. <p“Through this tragedy, it was really heartwarming seeing many people come together from our community.” Jilly recalled fondly about one snowy day when she noticed neighbors came together without being asked or saying anything-shoveling their driveway while they weren’t able.” Story continues below As each sibling tries navigating their lives forward after such loss-Jilly-a University of Waterloo software engineering student-finds herself struggling with what lies ahead without her dad present during significant moments like her graduation or potential future milestones like marriage. “He was supposedto be partof mylife events. In thesefuture moments , if I get married , we’d jokeaboutthat , (He would say) ‘I’mgoingto walkyou downthe aislebut I’mnotgoingto letgo.’ I’vealwaysbeenconfidenthe’d be hereforalotof these things,” Jilly addedas tears streamed downher face. ©2023 , a divisionof Corus Entertainment Inc.Source link
