‘Still in shock’: Witness describes fatal Circle Dr. crash

A man who witnessed the aftermath of a deadly single-vehicle crash on Circle Drive in Saskatoon is sharing his story in an effort to get people to be safe behind the wheel.

Maqbool Raja told 650 CKOM he was finishing his shift as a security guard in the Preston Crossing outlet mall around 12:45 a.m. Sunday, when a vehicle slammed into a pole on Circle Drive near Preston Avenue.

“I was writing my report and I was sitting in my car and I hear a big blast,” he said.

Raja made his way to the scene, where he said he saw wreckage strewn across the freeway.

“First he hit the pole, then he rolled over on the road three or four times.”

Approaching the smoking car with caution, Raja said he got no response when he shouted to see if anyone was inside.

He said he saw a man inside the vehicle as he got closer.

“I was trying to give him CPR or first aid, but I couldn’t go inside the car and he was lying upside down,” he said.

Other bystanders eventually arrived. Raja said one of them was a nurse who began co-ordinating efforts to help the man until emergency crews arrived and took over.

Firefighters cut the car apart to get to the 20-year-old driver, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Crews work at the scene of a fatal crash on Circle Drive. (Submitted video/Maqbool Raja)

Raja said he’s been having a tough time dealing with what he saw.

“I am still in shock and trying to relax, but I can’t.”

While speed was believed to have played a role in the crash, police said investigators were still working to determine exactly what happened.

Police said they would not be releasing the driver’s name after informing his family of his death.

—With files from Brent Bosker

Editor’s note: A section of this story where the witness speculated about the cause of the crash has been removed. No definitive cause has been determined by investigators.