Olympian, 31, dies in horror multi-car crash but 10-month old son …
Figure skating sensation and Olympian Alexandra Paul has been killed in a multi-car crash in Canada - but her 10-month old toddler miraculously survived, despite being in the back seat.
An out of control truck ploughed through a construction zone and collided into seven different vehicles on the Melancthon Township near Toronto. It’s understood the truck did not slow down in time before it slammed into the lineup of cars.
Paul was in one of those vehicles with her 10-month-old son, Charlie, who was placed in the back seat.
The Toronto native was pronounced dead at the scene, while her son was taken to a nearby children’s hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
It is also understood three others were injured in the crash with one 67-year-old man being airlifted to a trauma centre in the Toronto area. According to the Canadian Press[2], no charges have been filed against the driver, who has not been named by authorities.
A GoFundMe page[3] set up by friends to raise money for widowed father Mitch Islam and Charlie has already raised $204,123 Canadian dollars, at the time of writing. “As a Canadian success story is tragically cut short, Alex will be remembered as a passionate, determined young lady who could illuminate any room she entered,” the page read.
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The truck drove into around seven cars (Image: @OPP_CR/Twitter)
Their 10-month-old toddler survived the crash (Image: GoFundMe)
“She was not only kind, educated, witty, and resolute, but Alex was also a staple in the international Figure Skating community representing Canada at the Olympics. But above all, Alex will be remembered as a loving daughter, sister, wife, and mother to Charlie.”
Paul represented Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia[5], competing alongside Islam in the mixed-ice dance event, where they placed 18th. They won Canada’s junior ice dance title in 2009 and a silver medal at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championship in 2010.
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Paul and Islam first competed with each other in their first competition in 2011 (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
They also won three bronze medals at the Canadian National Championships in 2011, 2014 and 2015, before eventually announcing their retirement in two years later. In 2021, the couple married and had their son Charlie in 2022.
Before her untimely death, she earned her Juris Doctor degree at the University of Windsor Law school and was in the process of becoming an attorney for prestigious law firm Barriston Law.
References
- ^ Cause of mysterious death of ex-World Cup swimmer Jamie Cail changed by police (www.dailystar.co.uk)
- ^ the Canadian Press (www.cbc.ca)
- ^ GoFundMe page (www.gofundme.com)
- ^ comments section (www.dailystar.co.uk)
- ^ Russia (www.dailystar.co.uk)
- ^ Threads (www.threads.net)