Surrey family mourns Amy Wang, killed by a suspected impaired driver on Highway 1

Amy Wang loved spending time with children. The 33-year-old Surrey resident was a devoted aunt to her younger brother’s two children, worked as a nanny and was training to become an early childhood educator. She was killed Sept. 23 when a suspected impaired driver travelled the wrong way on Highway 1 through Burnaby. A friend of Wang’s also died in the collision, and their Uber driver was seriously injured.

Her father, Daniel Wang, said in a tearful interview that he learned of his daughter’s death after calling home that morning. His wife told him RCMP officers had come to their house. Amy’s brother William, who lives in Saskatchewan, said he received his mother’s call as he pulled into his driveway with his two young sons. He stayed in the garage while the children played outside, sat on the floor to process the news, and later broke down when his wife came home.

In an email, the B.C. Highway Patrol said police are actively investigating whether alcohol impairment was a major contributing factor in the collision. William said that if the driver was impaired, he must have been very impaired or intoxicated to pass several “do not enter” signs and continue on the wrong side of the highway. Seeing multiple vehicles travelling in the opposite direction should quickly alert a sober driver, he said; the driver should at least pull over instead of continuing down the highway.

Daniel said the driver took his daughter, who was not yet 34. He believes Amy would forgive the pickup truck driver, who is subject to a 90-day driving prohibition while the case is under investigation. Daniel said he prays for peace for all the families: three have been devastated, as well as the truck driver’s family, and the driver will face more pain later. He is leaning on his Christian faith in his grief and said Amy has appeared in his dreams, telling him not to be sad because she is at rest with Jesus Christ.

William has lost his only sibling, and his sons have lost their beloved aunt. He said his five-year-old knows who Auntie Amy is, while his two-and-a-half-year-old may not remember her. The family will tell the boys about Amy and remind them how much she loved them.

The Wang family is grateful for support from friends and strangers who have donated through a GoFundMe campaign for funeral expenses. Amy will be laid to rest at a service at her church on Saturday. William said he wants her remembered as a loving sister, daughter and aunt, a generous person who loved Jesus and was loved by those around her.