3 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,June 24,2021 insidehalton.com NOWOPEN 2ruO nd elilvk OaOa n!oitacoL n!oitacoL Our 2nd Oakville Location! 2441 Lakeshore RdWest,at Bronte Rd• FARMBOY.CA The mother of a woman who died in a fiery crash on the QEW in Oakville in 2019 says her family is permanently shattered. "I declare the emotional, phys- ical, mental and spiritual impact is the most harmful I have ever ex- perienced in my life and one I would not wish on anyone," Ta- tyana Kulikova wrote in a victim impact statement read by her daughter Kristina in an Ontario Court of Justice in Burlington last Thursday (June 17) at the sen- tencing hearing of the transport truck driver responsible for the death of her oldest daughter Ele- na. She said the horrific way in which her daughter -- from Niag- ara Falls -- died triggers devas- tating images in her mind. "A mother's heart, or that of a sister or father as well, simply can't accept this monstrous death of their child," the grieving moth- er wrote. "Even if death came instantly, the very fact her body was under the truck burning in the fire to the point of complete disfiguration and destruction where the coro- ner's office couldn't even get a de- cent fingerprint as no skin was left is something that will remain in our nightmares, whether awake or sleeping, forever." The family also feels guilty they were unable to fulfill Elena's final wishes as the 34-year-old wanted to be an organ donor. "She was adamant about this and we didn't even have that op- tion," her mother said. Muhammad Raza, 35, was driving a transport truck loaded with peaches on the QEW in Oak- ville on Aug. 22, 2019, when he crashed into several vehicles that had slowed or stopped due to ac- cumulated traffic ahead. The crash resulted in an explo- sion and the truck and several ve- hicles were engulfed in flames, in- cluding a car driven by Elena. Raza, a resident of Mississau- ga, was found guilty following a trial in February of dangerous driving causing death. The Crown is seeking a five- year penitentiary sentence fol- lowed by a lengthy driving prohi- bition. "No parent should have to lose a child," said assistant Crown at- torney Carly Eastwood. "At 34 years old, Ms. Kulikova had much of her life ahead of her." She said the defendant, as a professional driver, is held to a higher standard than other mo- torists on the road. "The collision wasn't an acci- dent," she said. "It was an avoidable crash caused by a driver, by virtue of his professional training and experi- ence, knew of the dangers of the highway and failed to keep a prop- er look out." Defence lawyer Riaz Timol ad- vocated for a two-year condition- al sentence, also known as house arrest. A five-year custodial sentence, he said, would be "incredibly un- just." He said his client, a father of two, suffers from PTSD as a result of the crash and struggles with the fact his actions that day re- sulted in a death. "My client's never going to drive again," the lawyer told the judge. "He's not capable of it. He hasn't driven since the accident." The sentencing hearing is scheduled to continue later this month. Judge Scott Latimer in his judgment in February said the de- fendant, who had logged more than 470 kilometres the day of the crash, demonstrated a "profound failure to keep watch on what lay ahead of the roadway." "This was more than a momen- tary inattention. A better descrip- tor would be sustained inatten- tion while driving a very large and dangerous vehicle on a major highway in southern Ontario." Elena was a painter, piano and voice teacher, and environmental advocate who was well known in the arts community in both Niag- ara Falls and Toronto. The philanthropist worked as an ambassador with Plastic Oceans Canada and donated a portion of the money she made from selling her paintings to the foundation. Shortly before her death, she had hosted a fundrais- ing art/fashion show in St. Catha- rines for the cause. Her sister Kristina, who re- cently gave birth to a son, said her older sister was the most impor- tant person in her life and it's a tragedy that her child will never have the opportunity to meet his aunt. "Her tragic death not only took away her life but with it a very large piece of my own identity. Who am I without her?" The family dog, Mozart, also died in the crash. Friends took the family to the area of the crash in the days fol- lowing the collision to search for the dog as his remains could not be located within the carcass of the burned vehicle. "But, we found only burnt peaches, plastic, metal and ash," Tatyana said. Court was told Raza was con- victed of impaired driving in 2017 and also has several convictions under the Highway Traffic Act for driving-related offences. "This demonstrates a disre- gard for the rules of the road and the different legislative provi- sions that are in place in order to keep motorists safe while they are one public roadways," the Crown said. TRUCK DRIVER IN FATAL CRASH SHOULD GET 5 YEARS IN JAIL, CROWN SAYS Elena Kulikova was killed in a crash on the QEW in Oakville in 2019. Julie Jocsak/Metroland ALISON LANGLEY CRIME