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Two high school friends are dead and a woman is seriously injured after a two-seater convertible rolled over a guardrail on the Don Valley Parkway last night in what police say was street racing.
"It's one of the more memorable scenes [I've been to] ... It's a bad one," said Sgt. Tim Burrows of Toronto Traffic Services.
"We have some witnesses who are describing what is commonly referred (to) as a street race," he said.
Little is known of where or why the race started between a red Nissan 300 ZX convertible and a white sports car.
But a stream of drivers on the DVP witnessed the gruesome crash that ended it just south of the Eglinton Ave. E. exit and shut down the northbound lanes north of Don Mills Rd. for the night.
The Nissan was registered to a Roma Bhagiratti. Last night, a relative at the Bhagiratti home in Scarborough identified the driver as Adam Bhagiratti, 21.
His Facebook profile includes photos, in a shared album called "Fine Men With Fine Cars," of a red Nissan 300ZX sitting beside a white sports car that appears to be a Mitsubishi Lancer. An electronic "tag" on the white car names one of Bhagiratti's Facebook friends - Geetesh Singh, 20, who also died in the crash.
Singh and Bhagiratti had a long friendship dating back to their years at Scarborough Academy for Technological Environmental and Computer education (SATEC), a technical program at W.A. Porter Collegiate in Scarborough.
"That [white car] wasn't Geetesh's car," said Geetesh's high school best friend, who requested to remain anonymous. "Geetesh was in the car with Adam."
Singh's friend heard about his death when he contacted Singh's family to ask if that was Singh's white sports car that was involved in the race.
That's when he was told that the Ryerson student's Lancer had been at a dealership for a servicing for the last two weeks. Singh was to complete his undergrad at Ryerson in 2010.
He was one of two passengers crammed into the sole passenger seat. Both were flung out of the car. Neither was wearing a seat belt.
"When someone passes away, everyone tries to find good things to say about them," the friend said. "I thought I would take the flip side and try to find something bad to say, but I couldn't find anything. He was just that kind of guy. There was nothing bad you could say about him. He was one of the happiest people I know. One of the friendliest people I know."
Bhagiratti was the only one in the Nissan wearing a seat belt and was trapped in the car. Emergency crews tore the roof off the convertible to reach him but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
"Seat belts are designed to keep you in the vehicle ... and the driver was wearing his seat belt. Had his injuries from the impact not been so substantial he may still be with us," said Burrows.
The female passenger, 21, was has non-life-threatening injuries.
According to initial reports, the two cars collided and the Nissan convertible hurtled into the outer guardrail, tearing off a 12-metre section. The white car did not remain at the scene. The Nissan was barely recognizable after the crash.
"You can tell from the back end of the car what kind of car it was. Other than that, nothing," said Burrows. "The front, the driver's side, it's all destroyed."
Officers are still trying to piece together what happened.
Alcohol is being examined as a possible factor.
"When people are driving like this, you wouldn't be surprised if alcohol was involved," said Burrows. "But at the same time, you don't need alcohol to make bad judgments, it just helps those bad judgments occur more often."
Concern over several fatal street-racing accidents prompted the Ontario government to pass stunt-driving legislation in September 2007. OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino said the law's fines of up to $10,000, automatic licence suspensions and the impounding of suspected racers' vehicles for seven days was needed to stop "senseless carnage" on Ontario highways.
Street-racing related deaths in the GTA have included racers, such as Darren D'Souza, 20, of Mississauga, in September 2008, and innocent bystanders, such as taxi driver Tahir Khan, killed by two young men racing up Mount Pleasant Rd. in January 2006.
Last night the DVP's northbound lanes were closed north of Don Mills Rd. shortly after 8:30 p.m., causing a massive traffic jam.
- with files from Henry Stancu
He was one of two passengers crammed into the sole passenger seat. Both were flung out of the car. Neither was wearing a seat belt.
"Seat belts are designed to keep you in the vehicle ... and the driver was wearing his seat belt. Had his injuries from the impact not been so substantial he may still be with us," said Burrows.
[/quote].ROZAC:.. wrote:rip.
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