Bangladeshi killed, 3 other injured in Barstow highway crash

An 18-year old Bangladesh national, Imtiaz Ahmed Ruhan, has been killed and three other have been injured in a car accident on California State Route 58.

The four, including Ruhan’s brother Iftekhar Ahmed Ruman, 28, sister in law Farhana Ahmed Nipa, 26, and friend Mehedi Islam Shimanto, 22, were out on a trip to Las Vegas when their car was rammed by another vehicle at the eastern end of the highway in Barstow on Mar 28.

Ruhan, who was in the backseat, was flung through the windshield on impact. The car started rolling and his back seat companion, Shimanto, fell out onto the highway through a door which broke.

Ruman and Nipa, who were in the front seats, had their seatbelts on and got away relatively less injured.

Ruman, who lived in San Francisco, was driving at the time of the accident.  He and his wife picked up Ruhan and Shimanto from Pennsylvania for the trip.

California Highway Patrol confirmed that the backseat passengers did not have their seatbelts on and that one of their officers administered CPR to Ruhan before declaring him dead. The three injured were airlifted and taken to the hospital.

Ruman and Lipi were admitted to Linda University Hospital while Shimanto is undergoing treatment at Arrowhead Regional Medical Centre at Cotton City.  Ruman has been released on Wednesday. Neepa has already undergone two surgeries. So have Shimanto and doctors are saying that he would need a couple more.

Mofizul Haque, father of Shimanto, said that Ruhan’s body has been taken to Philadelphia on Apr 1. He will be buried after Janaza at Northpen Mosque of Lansdale city after the Johar prayers on Thursday.

He added that Shimanto is a pre-med student of Gwynedd Mercy University while Ruhan was set to join University of Pennsylvania after finishing High School in June.