Funeral for Ajax baby killed in wrong-way Hwy 401 crash held today
Published May 8, 2024 at 10:24 am
A three-month-old boy who died alongside his grandparents in a wrong-way highway crash last week is being buried today.
Ajax residents Gokulnath Manivannan and Ashwitha Jawahar survived the crash on April 29 that killed their son, Aditya Vivaan, and their parents, who had just arrived from India two days before to see their grandchildren.
Manivannan said in a statement released by the SIU – which is investigating police actions that led to the fatal crash – that the pain of losing his son and his parents is “far worse” than the injuries he suffered in the crash with a van that was being chased by police on Highway 401 in Whitby.
Manivannan said painful memories of the crash and what has been lost have prevented he and his wife from returning to family home since they were released from hospital.
The Indian Consulate reached out to the family to offer “heartfelt condolences” on their tragic loss and that they were “in touch” with Canadian authorities.
The collision occurred when a U-Haul cube van driven by a 21-year-old driver was being chased by Durham Regional Police after a LCBO robbery in Clarington.
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The chase made it to Hwy 401 in Oshawa when the suspect – who was also killed in the collision – entered the highway going the wrong way. Dozens of police cars – despite radio warnings to abort the chase – followed, also going the wrong way.
The head-on collision involved at least six vehicles, including a semi-trailer.
The Special Investigative Unit – the provincial watchdog for police activities – is investigating.
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