The family of a man who was run over and killed while trying to stop an apparent “gas-and-dash” in Alberta is calling on the provincial government to create a law that would prevent similar tragedies.
Ki Yun Jo, 54, was killed while trying to prevent someone from stealing fuel from the Fas Gas on Highway 39 in Thorsby, roughly 70 kilometres southwest of Edmonton, Friday afternoon.
Witnesses say Jo hung onto the side of a cube van for roughly a block before the driver swerved, knocking him off the van and running him over in the process.
Members of Jo’s family say he was the sole breadwinner of the family and spent much of his time at the gas station.
“He was a very strong man,” Sung Hyun Jo, Ki Yun Jo’s son, told CTV Edmonton Sunday. “(The) only thing he cared about was his family, and he worked very hard.”
“My family just lost everything. My dad was everything for us. I don’t even know what we’re going to do.”
The RCMP is still looking for the suspect and the vehicle involved. Police say the 2006 white Ford cube van with a “Middleton Flooring” decal on the side was likely stolen from Spruce Grove at around 2 p.m. Friday afternoon. Anyone with information is asked to contact police.
“You should turn yourself in,” Sung Hyun Jo said. “You just killed a guy who worked really hard for his family.”
Two years ago, an Alberta gas station employee died under eerily similar circumstances. Maryam Rashidi Ashtiani died on June 9, 2015 after she was fatally injured in a hit-and-run at a Calgary gas station. She had tried to stop a $113 gas theft when she was struck by a stolen pickup truck.
In August, Joshua Mitchell, 22, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for manslaughter as a result of the incident.
Following Ashtiani’s death, the Alberta government began studying how to make the workplace safer for gas station attendants. Many have been calling for legislation requiring drivers to pre-pay for fuel at all gas stations.
Sung Hyun Jo is hoping the government follows through and comes up with a way to protect gas station employees.
“I'm really hoping that they apply this as soon as possible so it doesn't happen to anybody else,” he said.
Last month, Husky Energy became the first gas station to introduce a pre-pay policy in each of its Alberta locations. One of their employees died following a fight with a customer in 2015.
"The incident that happened in Edmonton affected everyone at Husky very deeply,” said Mel Duvall, Husky spokesperson. “Whether the government took action or not, we were going to take this action."
The Alberta Federation of Labour has been pushing for a pre-pay legislation, similar to the laws in British Columbia and Husky’s new policy.
“The time is long passed for our government to learn the lessons that are on clear display from British Columbia,” said Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour. “It’s time for them to take action and stop talking.”
Alberta Minister of Labour Christina Gray said worker safety is a top priority for the government.
Every worker should be able to come home safely at the end of the day,” she told reporters. “My heart is broken that this has happened and we will be taking action to prevent it in the future.”
With a report from CTV Edmonton’s Angela Jung.
