The father of two young boys killed in a head-on crash in northern Alberta earlier this week is recovering in hospital while family members say his 8-year-old son is still fighting for his life.
Relatives have identified the family of five involved in the crash near Lac La Biche, Alta., which killed four people on Dec. 23.
Elisaveta Scherbakov, 34, and two of her sons, 9-year-old Alexander and 4-year-old Zenon, were killed when a truck carrying three people collided with the Scherbakov’s SUV.
A 23-year-old woman who was in the truck also died and the two other occupants – men in their early 20s – were airlifted to an Edmonton hospital.
Lac La Biche RCMP believe that alcohol was a factor in the crash.
According to a GoFundMe page created by Elisaveta’s brother, her husband Felip suffered a concussion and was in a coma, but is now awake and talking. Felip's son, eight-year-old Ioan, remains in the intensive care unit. The page has already raised more than $47,000 for the family.
“We are all heartbroken,” Elisaveta’s brother said in a statement to CTV Edmonton. “We are asking for privacy at this time. Felip Scherbakov, the father of the family, is feeling better and will be making all the decisions moving forward.”
Omer Moghrabi, the mayor of Lac La Biche County, said it has been a difficult time for his community.
“We will reach out to the families,” he said. “We know the people. Everyone is connected.”
