Oct. 22 update: Unfortunately, Khushal Singh Rana succumbed to his injuries on Saturday. Updated article here.
The community is rallying in support of a Saanich man battling for his life after being struck by a vehicle on Gorge Road on Wednesday.
Khushal Singh Rana was on his way to work after celebrating his son’s fourth birthday when an SUV jumped the curb, hit Rana and then slammed into a tree, police said.
He remains in a coma and has had one leg amputated.
Rana’s colleagues at Sizzling Tandoor Restaurant describe the 31 year old as an extremely talented chef.
“He was always smiling, super sweet, really eager to do well,” said Katie McKenna.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help support Rana’s wife, son and twins that are due in December.
“We’ve already had some calls this morning of people asking who they could make the cheques out to,” McKenna said. “The community support already in such a short period of time has been really great.”
The young father just moved to Victoria from Surrey a couple of months ago.
“He moved to Victoria to build a better future for his family,” Rana’s co-worker Kirn Bawa said.
Adding to the stress, Rana’s wife doesn’t speak English and isn’t working.
“Our goal is to make their family comfortable,” said the restaurant’s owner, Gurinder Bawa.
A local Sikh temple is also raising money for the family, collecting $1,500 in just three hours on Friday.
A 25-year-old woman who was driving the SUV that struck Rana was also taken to hospital on Wednesday.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
