‘It’s just so painful’: Family mourns loss of father killed in single-vehicle collision

Don't worry, just take your time."

A simple text of reassurance, one of the last Judith Sule would send her husband Jason Young on the afternoon of Friday, Aug. 28.

Young had been worried about the threat of rain flooding their basement as he drove home from running errands, one of which was picking up special formula for their 13-month-old daughter Joleen, who has Down's syndrome.

But, neither Young nor the formula made it home that evening. Instead, a Hamilton Police officer showed up at their front door later that night.

Shortly after 4:20 p.m., police responded to a single-vehicle crash in the area of South Service Road and Lake Avenue Drive in the northeast end of the city.

When paramedics arrived at the scene, they found Young extensively trapped" and without vital signs. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said Young, 44, was driving his dark blue 2006 BMW eastbound on South Service Road from Centennial Parkway North. In a press release, they said they believe Jason lost control of the car, and struck a hydro pole on the south side of the road.

For Sule, the cause of the crash is a mystery - police said they have not ruled out speed or alcohol as factors in the incident.

She says Young had visited a scrap yard days prior to the collision and a car part had hit him on the head, leaving him with a goose egg." But, his injuries in the crash Friday afternoon were too extensive" to determine any pre-existing conditions like a concussion.

She wonders if the crash could have been related to a medical episode.

He took the turn off the highway and he's taken that road like a million times," said Sule speaking to the Spec. I just don't know why he would just lose control."

Ever since police came to the doorstep of their Stoney Creek home, Sule said she has been in shock" and is still taking everything in."

I just feel like it's been a nightmare and it's going to be over, but it's not," she added.

Remembering her husband Tuesday, Sule described him as a quiet and hardworking" man who had a passion for working on cars and could fix anything with a microchip in it."

He also had a niche" talent for working with analogue sound systems and planned on opening an auto body shop this month with a friend in Hamilton.

He could work with anything," said Sule. He loved it all."

The pair met in 2007 when they were both working at Bell Mobility. Sule worked in customer service and Young worked in the I.T. department. They spent their first date at a Moxie's in Mississauga and the rest was history.

Thirteen years later, the couple had two young daughters and another baby on the way. Young was incredibly family oriented" and was like a son to Sule's parents.

He loved everybody," she added.

Young and their four-year-old daughter Janelle were particularly close.

He'd bought her first backpack as she prepared to start junior kindergarten this month. The two of them would often go on father-daughter dates.

They also bonded over a love of playing together with dinosaurs. He had bought Janelle hundreds of the plastic prehistoric figurines.

Sule says Young was known as the fun parent" while she was the fun police."

She hasn't played with one since this happened," Sule said. Because (Young) is the one that buys them for her ... she is really missing her dad."

One of the most heartbreaking realizations for Sule is knowing Young won't meet their baby due in January and that Joleen won't get the chance to have the same relationship as Janelle did.

But, even at just 13-months-old, Sule said Joleen is also missing her father. The days following the crash, everything" about her was off, said Sule.

Then, I put one of his shirts on her pillow and the moment she had that, she fell asleep," she added. Her one and only word has been Dada,' ... it just breaks my heart that she will not know him or remember him."

Sule said despite the pain of losing Young, she has been surrounded by support" from family, friends and their church community.

A family friend has also launched a GoFundMe to assist them with funeral costs as well as any unexpected expenses. As of Tuesday afternoon, they'd raised more than $6,000 of their $15,000 goal.

It's life, nothing is promised. Every day is a gift," said Sule. But, it's just so painful."

A visitation for Young will take place on Wednesday and Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. at St. John's Dixie Cemetery and Crematorium at 737 Dundas St. E. in Mississauga. A funeral will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday at Hope Church at 7755 Tenth Line W. in Mississauga.

Fallon Hewitt is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach her via email: fhewitt@thespec.com