When Sandeep left home for work on July 16, he told his daughters, Sargun (6) and Mehar (2), and his wife, Manjeet, that he would be back soon. Little did he know that he would never return. Just one turn away from finishing his shift, he tragically lost his life in a crash.
Sandeep Singh Cheema, 41, a Surrey resident was the victim of the two tractor trailers crash along Highway 17 and and 116 Avenue this week.
Sandeep’s death is a heart-wrenching blow, as highlighted in a fundraiser aimed at supporting his bereaved family. The fundraiser notes the poignant detail that Sandeep’s father too had lost his life in a car crash in 2012.
The Surrey RCMP informed that July 16, 2024, at approximately 8:10 pm there was a report of a collision involving two tractor-trailers along Highway 17 and 116 Avenue.
One of the drivers, a 41-year-old man, was taken to hospital with serious injuries. The driver and passenger of the other tractor-trailer, a 44-year-old man and 64-year-old man, were also taken to hospital for further assessment and since have been released. Police later informed that the 41-year-old man had succumbed to his injuries. The police did not identify the victim, but local community members and media identified him as Sandeep Cheema.
A fundraiser was created by Kiran Singh brother in law of Cheema. In the fundraiser, Singh mentions that Sandeep passed away “as a result of a horrific head-on collision that occurred on July 16th, 2024, when a speeding semi-trailer drove through a red light as Sandeep was about to turn into his workplace to park his semi-trailer truck for the night and head home to his wife and daughters.”
Sandeep was one turn away from finishing his shift, and reuniting with his family. After fighting for his life for several days in the ICU, Sandeep succumbed to his injuries, leaving his baby daughters and wife behind.
Sandeep immigrated to Surrey, BC, in 2012 after his father passed away in a car crash in 2012, and his mother passed away a few months after in 2013. After becoming a husband in 2016, and a father shortly after, he began his new life with his new family. But that happiness would be short-lived.
“While Sandeep might be gone, his infectious spirit and his love for life are survived by his daughters and his wife. Sandeep’s organs have also been donated so someone else’s life can be saved. As his family navigates this irreparable and heartbreaking loss, we ask you for your support. Your generous contributions will help the family repay his debts, provide support for their housing needs, and keep them afloat for a while. Your support will ensure that the family can honor Sandeep’s memory and heal with a little less monetary strain,” mentions the fundraiser.
Sandeep’s death is another reminder for all those out there on roads with reckless driving. He was not the only person who has met with the ill fate. The BC highway patrols and various police departments in BC reported multiple accidents on the roads of BC. These were not just accidents, they were fatal that did not spare old, young or even the infants.
BC Coroner’s Service reported that between Friday, July 5, and Wednesday, July 10, 2024, there were 19 accidental motor-vehicle-related deaths reported to the BC Coroners Service (BCCS). Twelve of those deaths occurred during three incidents reported in the Interior Health Authority. “This week has been marked by several fatal motor vehicle incidents on highways throughout British Columbia,” said a release from the Coroner’s Service.
Surrey community and family last week were mourning the tragic loss of a young girl who died in a car crash in Surrey last week. Nineteen-year-old Saniya had arrived in Canada on July 9, 2024. However, her life was cut short on July 11 when she died in the accident on July 11, 2024.