Tragedy struck a Port Colborne family for a third time in five years after an accident on Hwy. 58 claimed the life of Josh Babiy and two others.
Babiy, 39, was one of three people who died in a collision between a pickup truck and a Niagara Region Transit bus late in the evening of Oct. 12. In addition to Babiy, the accident claimed the lives of the pickup truck driver and another passenger. The driver of the bus and two passengers were injured.
“He had an infectious smile, and enjoyed making people laugh,” said Donna Bowron, a close friend of the family, and of Josh’s mom, Rosie, in particular. “He was always a loyal friend.”
Babiy was always willing to help others and made the best of every situation, Bowron added.
“He loved animals, and also had a dog — a pit-bull named Buddy — which he loved,” she said.
Bowron said Babiy had been visiting his mother in Port Colborne and believes he had gotten a ride with friends and was heading back to his home in Niagara Falls when the collision occurred on a stretch of the highway between Kleiner Street and Forkes Road.
Ontario Provincial Police said at the time that the truck had rolled over and was engulfed in flames after the head-on collision with the bus.
Josh’s death is the third time his mother, Rosie, has had to deal with a child passing away suddenly. Josh’s sister Nicole died suddenly last year at the age of 40, while brother Joel passed away in 2019.
“She's, she's always been, like, how do I say it, she's always been a source of light,” Bowron said of Rosie. “She's always got compassion and strength everyone around her. She's always been a solid rock."
Babiy leaves behind a daughter, Taylor Raine, 12. The GoFundMe has a goal of raising $10,000 to cover funeral costs and start a trust fund for Taylor.
