Gas-and-dash murder trial hears off-duty firefighter, nurse and doctor tried to save injured woman
An off-duty nurse, firefighter and doctor were by Maryam Rashidi's side trying to save the life of the gas station attendant just seconds after being hit by a truck she had been chasing to get the driver to pay for stolen fuel.
"She had bruising under her eyes, an open head wound, one of her legs ... had all the skin and tissue removed," said Jacob Coffman, a former firefighter who was one of the first people to tend the 35-year-old's injuries.
Jurors in Joshua Mitchell's second-degree murder trial heard from eight people who jumped into action after the fatal hit and run with a stolen truck.
Some ran to the nearby fire hall for help, some administered first aid to the victim and two tried to catch the driver who had taken off.
Victim looked like 'rag doll'
It was late in the morning of June 7, 2015, when the driver of a burgundy Ford F350 tried to drive away after filling up with gas from the Centex on 16th Avenue N.W.
Rashidi, who was working her fourth shift at the gas station, caught up to the truck and banged on the window before climbing on its hood.
The driver accelerated, swerved and then braked, said Sherri White Vernon who was at Home Depot when she heard the commotion.
"It looked like he was trying to shake her off the hood," she said of the driver.
Rashidi's leg got caught in the wheel rim and she was pulled underneath the truck, according to White Vernon.
After both the front and rear wheels drove over Rashidi, she looked like "a rag doll," said Trygve Tysseland, who witnessed the incident.
Nurse rushed to Rashidi's side
An off-duty nurse who had been shopping for plants at Home Depot ran over to offer help. Valerie Jones teared up as she described blood coming from Rashidi's mouth.
Using supplies from a first aid kit supplied by Sheadon Roll, another passing motorist, a team of Good Samaritans tried to treat her.
"She was face down on the cement, she had her hands out ... she was breathing really fast and really shallow," said Jones.
A doctor who also treated Rashidi at the scene is scheduled to testify next week.
Rashidi was taken off life support two days later, leaving behind a husband and six-year-old son.
Meanwhile, two other drivers — Chris Swann and Emmett Yang — each chased the burgundy truck. Yang testified he drove up to 120 km/h in an effort to catch the driver.
Mitchell arrested after stand-off
As soon as he noticed kids playing on the sidewalk, Yang said he stopped and returned to the scene.
Rashidi, 35, had recently been laid off — along with her husband — from her job as an engineer in Calgary's oil and gas industry, and was working at the Centex when she ran after the truck.
Mitchell was arrested two days after Rashidi was injured and has been in custody ever since. He is being represented by defence lawyer Kim Ross.
Prosecutors Hak and James Thomas expect to call about two dozen witnesses over the two-week trial.
The jury trial is being presided over by Justice Alan MacLeod.
