Friends and family are rallying for the 31-year-old male in critical condition after being struck by an SUV on Gorge Road at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
Khushal Rana, a father of one and husband to a wife pregnant with twins, is in critical condition at the Victoria General Hospital intensive care unit. He has had one leg amputated, has lost a lot of blood and the medical staff are fighting to retain his other limbs and keep him alive, said his employer, Gurinder Bawa, owner of Sizzling Tandoor restaurants.
Acting Sgt. Jereme Leslie said Saanich Police is still investigating the incident. Rana was hit when a 25-year-old Saanich woman was travelling east on Gorge Road West when her 2003 Chevrolet Suburban mounted the sidewalk after it had gone off the road. The vehicle struck Rana then continued into Gorge Park before coming to rest in the bushes.
Employees at the Sizzling Tandoor were surprised when the popular cook did not show up for his 1 p.m. shift.
“Rana started here two months ago, he migrated to Canada from India to Surrey, and then to [Saanich],” Bawa said. “He was celebrating his son’s birthday with his family on Wednesday, before he came.”
Adding further stress to the situation, Rana’s wife is pregnant with twins due in December and speaks little English to date.
Bawa said Sizzling Tandoor will help cover costs for the family until further notice, but is hoping the community can also step in to ease the financial strain Rana’s family will face.
“Rana’s wife is at the hospital by his side,” Bawa said. “I visited Rana at the hospital [he was not awake], I was able to see him, it is a difficult time for his family.”
The staff at Sizzling Tandoor consider Rana a very nice man who’s down-to-Earth, kind and soft spoken.
“We would love to see him working here for the rest of his life, as a family friend,” Bawa said. “His wife is not working, doesn’t speak English, she’ll have her hands full.”
The Sikh temple at Topaz (Khalsa Diwan) is collecting relief funds for the family, as are all three Sizzling Tandoor locations in town. There’s also a GoFundMe page created to help.
Bawa is working on finding some support for Rana’s wife during this hard time, especially with pregnancy, he said.
“Hopefully we can Rana make it through, and be back home to play with the kids. It will be a while, but hopefully, he can be there to watch and be with his young, growing family.
“We are asking anyone for help in the community.”
