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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, Ju ly 8, 20 21 | 4 7491 ECNIS ?REZEERF TSEHC A ROF ECAPS EVAH UOY KNIHT T'NOD .)tF .uc 7.71( egral ot )tf .uc 5.3( tcapmoc morf sezis lla ni srezeerf fo egnar ediw a sah ybnaD *MW1B530FCD NWOHS LEDOMMOC.YBNAD TA ECAPS RUOY ROF ELBATIUS REZEERF A DNIF A Mississauga truck driver responsible for a fi- ery 2019 crash in Oakville that left a woman dead and seven people injured has been sentenced to three years in prison. Muhammad Hasnai Ra- za also received a six-year driving prohibition during a Tuesday, June 29, sen- tencing hearing at a Bur- lington court. He was convicted of dangerous driving causing death on Thursday, Feb. 11. The Mississauga man was charged in the wake of a horrific crash on the east- bound QEW near Trafal- gar Road on Aug. 22, 2019. The crash involved eight vehicles and left Ele- na Kulikova, 34, a well- known artist in Niagara Falls, dead. In reaching his verdict, Justice Scott Latimer said Raza displayed "sustained inattention" in the mo- ments immediately lead- ing up to the crash. Raza had been driving a transport truck loaded with peaches in the east- bound lanes of the QEW. At around 10:45 p.m., he approached the Trafalgar Road overpass where a number of vehicles were stopped as a result of con- struction ahead. The court heard that Raza's truck slammed into seven of these stationary vehicles, resulting in an ex- plosion. Latimer said an investi- gation found that Raza was not speeding and there is no evidence to indicate Ra- za was fatigued. The investigation also found that the area was well illuminated. Ultimately, Latimer concluded Raza had a clear line of sight and pointed to footage from Ministry of Transportation cameras that showed a number of vehicles of the same size slowing and stopping for the traffic congestion with- out issue. "Mr. Raza had the op- portunity and should have seen what was occurring with the traffic immediate- ly in front of him," said Lat- imer in his February ver- dict. "Mr. Raza's failure to pay attention to the change in traffic, in that vehicle, at that speed amounted to dangerous driving." Following the June 29 hearing Kulikova's family declined to comment on the Raza's sentence, but thanked those who have supported them and called on everyone to practise greater road safety. "We are forced to live with this tragedy no mat- ter what, but we call on each and every person be- hind a wheel to please drive responsibly so you don't end up living with the tragedy of losing a loved one or the realization that you took a life," said Kristi- na Kulikova on behalf of her family. "Every moment is im- portant...one small mis- take can cause the destruc- tion of so many families, including the offender and victims. Always keep your loved ones in your mind and in your heart." TRUCK DRIVER GETS THREE YEARS IN PRISON FOR DEADLY CRASH Elena Kulikova was killed in a 2019 crash in Oakville. Kulikova family photo DAVID LEA dlea@metroland.com CRIME "Every moment is important.one small mistake can cause the destruction of so many families, including the offender and victims." - Kristina Kulikova