Charles Taban Luka
Charles Taban Luka
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Age: 22
Location:
Ogilvie Road
Ottawa , ON
Canada
Charles was hit by a vehicle just before 11 p.m. on Tuesday, July 21 while travelling westbound on Ogilvie Road west of Blair. He died on June 24, 2009.
from the Ottawa Citizen
Generosity overwhelms grieving family
When Sudanese refugee Charles Taban Luka was killed in a cycling accident in July, the community was quick to help his family cope. Tim Shufelt and Cassandra Drudi explain.
By Tim Shufelt and Cassandra Drudi, The Ottawa Citizen
September 1, 2009
Among the casualties of this summer's rash of collisions between cars and cyclists was the promising future of a young Sudanese refugee who had begun to rise above his difficult past in a troubled country.
But in his death, the roots he helped his family establish in Ottawa took hold, as the community rallied around his grief-stricken brothers.
"My heart is full of happiness," said John Ochang Luka, whose younger brother, Charles, was struck by a car on Ogilvie Road in July.
"That support I had during that time up to today, I'm very happy. Friends, the Sudanese community in general, and the teachers of Charles and the teachers of my children -- all of this made a lot of difference to me."
Charles Taban Luka, 22, was cycling along Ogilvie Road on July 21, when he drifted out of the bike lane and into the path of cars travelling in the same direction. Just before 11 p.m., he was struck by a Volkswagen Jetta and sustained critical head injuries. Police say he wasn't wearing a helmet and may have been drinking.
He was kept on life support at the trauma centre of The Ottawa Hospital's Civic campus for two days before he died.
He left behind his three brothers, who all arrived in Ottawa together from Sudan nearly four years ago.
"They've come so far, they just start thinking they're getting ahead and they get hit with this," said Nicole Hicks, who taught Charles's niece and nephew at a Beacon Hill North Catholic school. "It's just an enormous loss for them, they had such a close-knit little family."
John Ochang Luka, 35, was a refugee in Kenya when he received a scholarship to study in Canada. Had he arrived in November 2004 with just his wife and two children, he probably would have had an easier time, financially speaking, said family friend Nathalie Maione. Instead, he immediately began working to support his family and put his brothers through school.
Charles was halfway through a four-year program in bio-technology at Algonquin College, Luka said. Maione said he worked for a biotech company and took on a second job at Tim Hortons to help contribute money his family here and his parents in Sudan.
"He was part of the choir at his church, he was very involved," Maione said. "They used him as an example for the youth, a very upstanding young man."
When Charles died, the people he had come to know felt compelled to help his grieving family.
"The community really came together, because they wouldn't have even been able to afford the funeral," Maione said.
Money was also raised to send Charles's body back to Sudan for burial, which was a great comfort to his mother, Luka said.
Shortly after the tragedy, John's car, which the family relied on heavily, gave out. Hicks went to work finding the family another vehicle. Luc Bélanger, general manager of Marcel Bélanger Pontiac Buick GMC, came through with a minivan for the family, "Free of charge."
The family is now faced with the stress of trying to find a new place to live that will accommodate Luka's wife and children and his two younger brothers, who live in an apartment nearby. But the help they've received since July has meant a lot to them.
"This minivan and other things, this is a lot," Luka said. "This is a lot."
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Age: 22
Location:
Ogilvie Road
Ottawa , ON
Canada
Charles was hit by a vehicle just before 11 p.m. on Tuesday, July 21 while travelling westbound on Ogilvie Road west of Blair. He died on June 24, 2009.
from the Ottawa Citizen
Generosity overwhelms grieving family
When Sudanese refugee Charles Taban Luka was killed in a cycling accident in July, the community was quick to help his family cope. Tim Shufelt and Cassandra Drudi explain.
By Tim Shufelt and Cassandra Drudi, The Ottawa Citizen
September 1, 2009
Among the casualties of this summer's rash of collisions between cars and cyclists was the promising future of a young Sudanese refugee who had begun to rise above his difficult past in a troubled country.
But in his death, the roots he helped his family establish in Ottawa took hold, as the community rallied around his grief-stricken brothers.
"My heart is full of happiness," said John Ochang Luka, whose younger brother, Charles, was struck by a car on Ogilvie Road in July.
"That support I had during that time up to today, I'm very happy. Friends, the Sudanese community in general, and the teachers of Charles and the teachers of my children -- all of this made a lot of difference to me."
Charles Taban Luka, 22, was cycling along Ogilvie Road on July 21, when he drifted out of the bike lane and into the path of cars travelling in the same direction. Just before 11 p.m., he was struck by a Volkswagen Jetta and sustained critical head injuries. Police say he wasn't wearing a helmet and may have been drinking.
He was kept on life support at the trauma centre of The Ottawa Hospital's Civic campus for two days before he died.
He left behind his three brothers, who all arrived in Ottawa together from Sudan nearly four years ago.
"They've come so far, they just start thinking they're getting ahead and they get hit with this," said Nicole Hicks, who taught Charles's niece and nephew at a Beacon Hill North Catholic school. "It's just an enormous loss for them, they had such a close-knit little family."
John Ochang Luka, 35, was a refugee in Kenya when he received a scholarship to study in Canada. Had he arrived in November 2004 with just his wife and two children, he probably would have had an easier time, financially speaking, said family friend Nathalie Maione. Instead, he immediately began working to support his family and put his brothers through school.
Charles was halfway through a four-year program in bio-technology at Algonquin College, Luka said. Maione said he worked for a biotech company and took on a second job at Tim Hortons to help contribute money his family here and his parents in Sudan.
"He was part of the choir at his church, he was very involved," Maione said. "They used him as an example for the youth, a very upstanding young man."
When Charles died, the people he had come to know felt compelled to help his grieving family.
"The community really came together, because they wouldn't have even been able to afford the funeral," Maione said.
Money was also raised to send Charles's body back to Sudan for burial, which was a great comfort to his mother, Luka said.
Shortly after the tragedy, John's car, which the family relied on heavily, gave out. Hicks went to work finding the family another vehicle. Luc Bélanger, general manager of Marcel Bélanger Pontiac Buick GMC, came through with a minivan for the family, "Free of charge."
The family is now faced with the stress of trying to find a new place to live that will accommodate Luka's wife and children and his two younger brothers, who live in an apartment nearby. But the help they've received since July has meant a lot to them.
"This minivan and other things, this is a lot," Luka said. "This is a lot."
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen