Stopping to help at a crash site was his last good deed

By ABBIE VANSICKLE, Times Staff Writer
Published October 30, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [Family photo] Amir Dallas Sarhaddi, a married father of two, died Sunday morning when he stopped to help at a car accident scene and became a victim, too. He was struck by a car. He is with his wife Stacey Sarhaddi in the photo.

TAMPA - His mom says she raised him to help others, to do the right thing.

Still, Amir Dallas Sarhaddi's mother can't help wishing for a different ending, a happier one.

"He had a good heart," said Brenda Sarhaddi, 51, of Tampa. "If he saw someone in trouble, he's going to stop."

Sunday morning, Sarhaddi, 29, a married father of two, got out of his truck to help at a crash site on Interstate 75.

He, too, became a victim when another passing motorist struck and killed him.

Sarhaddi's family is mourning, but also thinking ahead to figure out how they will survive without him, because he was the family's sole income.

He leaves behind his wife, Stacey Sarhaddi. She stayed at home to raise their two kids, Alexys, 11, and Ethan Amir, 8. They live in Riverview.

As Sarhaddi's mother wonders how they'll get by, she wonders, too, for her husband. Sarhaddi was his father's business partner in a telecommunications company called Clear Link Communications.

A rare night out

Sarhaddi's mother last saw him hours before his death. He worked so much that it was a special treat for him to go with his wife to dinner and a movie.

The couple dropped off the children with Sarhaddi's parents for the evening at their home near Tampa's Busch Gardens. Sarhaddi's mom went to bed about 11 p.m.

Then, a phone call.

Her other son delivered the news. Sarhaddi was dead.

A fatal decision

Here's what the Florida Highway Patrol says happened:

Sarhaddi and his wife were heading south on I-75 about 3 a.m.

There was a two-car crash up ahead. One car, an Infinity, rear-ended another, a Jeep.

Sarhaddi pulled to the shoulder of the road to help.

He got out of his vehicle and started to walk to the cars, when a Saturn driven by Jessica Paquette, 23, of Riverview, ran into the Infinity, then veered to the left, hitting Sarhaddi.

As this all happened, Sarhaddi's wife sat in the couple's vehicle, waiting for him, his mother said. When she saw the Saturn add to the pileup, she looked for her husband.

"She kept trying to find Amir, but she couldn't find him," Sarhaddi's mother said.

Sarhaddi was pronounced dead at the scene.

The investigation into the crash is ongoing, said Larry Coggins. No charges have been filed.

Paquette, the driver of the Saturn, did not wish to comment for this story, according to her father.

Several violations

According to state driving records, Paquette has previous driving violations. In March 2002, she was cited for careless driving in Pasco County. In March and May 2002, she had seat belt violations.

In December 2002, she was convicted of driving under the influence in Hillsborough County. Records show her blood alcohol level was above 0.2. State law presumes a driver is impaired at a blood alcohol level of 0.08 and above. Her driver's license was revoked for 180 days after the conviction and was reinstated in June 2003, records show.

In February 2005, she was cited for failing to obey a traffic sign or device, records show.

An all-American boy

It's too soon to know what will happen with Sarhaddi's family, his mother said.

They had not finalized funeral arrangements by early Monday afternoon.

His parents both choked on tears as they remembered their son.

He loved tailgating for Buccaneers games and fishing. He grilled delicious ribs, no secret ingredients needed.

He was raised Baptist and attended Hillsborough High School.

Half Iranian by birth, he was a native of Tampa, "an all-American," his mother said.

He was the sort of person who would look out for his neighbors - and for strangers. His mom believes that's why he stopped to help on Sunday.

"He was a very good person, of course, as you see," said his father, Farid Sarhaddi, 52. "He stopped to do the right thing."

Times researcher John Martin contributed to this report. Abbie VanSickle can be reached at vansickle@sptimes.com or 813-226-3373.

[Last modified October 29, 2007, 22:08:44]