Bystander who performed CPR on hit-and-run victim urges driver to come forward

Neighbour performed CPR on hit-and-run victim A neighbour tells CTV how he tried to keep a 28-year-old alive after the man was struck by a driver who then fled the scene.

As RCMP continue to investigate a 28-year-old Surrey man's death from a hit-and-run on Tuesday, the neighbour who found the man on the ground and performed CPR is urging the driver to come forward.

The victim, who family is identifying as Avtar Singh, was found unconscious and seriously injured on the road of the 14300 block of 92nd Avenue, a Guildford cul-de-sac, around 7:20 a.m.

He was taken to hospital where he later died from his injuries.

Bikramjit Nanda, a neighbour, found Singh on the road Tuesday morning.

"I went close to the person and I saw there was a lot of bleeding coming from his nose, his ears," said Nanda.

Nanda said man's phone, wallet and shoes were lying far away from his body, and that his turban had come loose.

"It looked like someone dragged him or hit him so hard that he flew," said Nanda.

Another neighbour called 911, but passed the phone to Nanda who spoke with emergency responders. At the dispatcher's request, Nanda performed CPR.

"He was not breathing at the time," he said. "I could not feel any heartbeat."

Paramedics arrived and took over, and Nanda says he thinks they were able to restore a pulse. The man was transported to hospital in Surrey, where he later died.

Nanda says he wants to tell the driver who hit Singh to turn him or herself in to police.

"It's a terrible thing to do. It's inhuman," Nanda said. "Someone has lost his son. Someone has lost his brother… just come forward."

Singh had moved from Dubai to Canada just one month ago, according to his cousin Kalwinder Singh. The victim was walking to the bus stop on his way to take a driving test for a trucker's license when he was struck, his cousin said.

According to police, no one witnessed what happened to Singh and it wasn't clear how long he had been lying there.

Cpl. Scotty Schumann told CTV News on Wednesday morning that officers had recovered fragments of glass and bits of a vehicle, and they can confirm it was a hit and run incident.

"The pieces would be really useful to us if we do find a suspect vehicle later on. Then we can match the two… But the pieces on their own won't necessarily point to a vehicle," he said.

Based on the pieces they recovered, Schumann says the suspect vehicle might have a windshield that's pushed in from the front.

But finding the vehicle is just the first step. Schumann says that while evidence can point officers to a vehicle, it's much harder to say for certain who was behind the wheel.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

With files from Nafeesa Karim, Sheila Scott and David Molko.