‘She was always happy’: Brother says of sister killed in fatal collision in Richmond Hill

York U student killed in Richmond Hill collision The brother of Julia Baciu, who was killed in a collision, recalls the moment his mother called to say his sister had died.

A 21-year-old woman killed in a collision with a suspected impaired driver in Richmond Hill is being remembered for her sense of humour and her smile.

Julia Baciu died on Sunday night in a two-vehicle collision on Bayview Avenue at Woodriver Street around 9:30 p.m. She was a passenger in one of the vehicles.

The driver who was with Baciu was transported to the hospital with serious injuries.

Family and friends have started to lay bouquets of flowers near the intersection where the collision occurred. Images of Baciu have been taped to a light pole.

“She was the smartest, most beautiful young girl that I ever met,” her former boyfriend Shayne Farhadpour told CTV News Toronto at the site of the memorial. “She was a great student and a great friend and a great girlfriend and she was taken away from us too soon.”

Milan Hansen, a friend of Farhadpour who went to the same high school, said Baciu “always had a smile on her face.”

“It’s devastating,” Hansen said. “My life almost got taken away a year ago, same story. It’s disgusting to be honest with you. Someone loses their life because of someone’s stupid mistake.”

Julia’s brother had just returned from a trip to New York with his girlfriend when he heard of his baby sister’s death.

“I didn’t believe it,” Cristian Baciu told CTV News Toronto. “I said ‘mom, don’t joke around about that’ and she just passed the phone to one of the sergeants, who identified himself, and gave me a quick story. I just dropped the phone, looked at my girlfriend and said ‘my sister is dead.’”

As a paramedic, Cristian is used to dealing with other people’s tragedies, but said it is different when it’s your own family.

“The shock is insane,” he said. “My baby sister. My only sister.”

Cristian said his sister was going to turn 22 in three weeks and was attending teacher’s college at York University, specializing in languages. She was also mentor in the community.

“She was fluent in six languages and was starting her seventh,” her brother said. “I was always sort of the good student going through and once she started school she not only caught up, but she definitely surpassed and I was so proud, because you can’t be jealous. It was just pride”

The siblings took a trip to visit their grandparents in Romania a little over a year ago. Cristian said that it was one of their biggest bonding moments.

“Her and I did a long extended layover in Munich, Germany and went around and explored,” he said. “It was just us two and it was great.”

When asked about what he will miss the most, Cristian said he will miss his baby sister’s smile and jokes.

“The funny pictures she constantly tagged me in, little things like that,” he said. “We were always thinking of each other and we were always there when anything happened.”

Cristian said that his family is slowly starting to recover from the news. He said he is not angry with the other driver, but hopes the person understands “the hurt, the suffering that this incident has caused our family.”

“Nothing will bring her back,” Cristian said. “What’s done is done.”

“She was happy. That is the one thing I said to my whole family. She was always happy.”

Toronto resident Seyed Yashar is facing five charges in connection with the collision, including impaired driving causing death, dangerous driving causing death, and refusing to provide a breath sample.

None of the charges have been proven in court.

-With files from CTV News Toronto's Janice Golding