London business owner in a coma, intensive care after falling off bicycle
A London, Ont. business owner is in a coma after falling off his bike this past weekend in the city’s north end.
Family members tell CTV News London 39-year-old Ali Azizi would have left his pizza shop, Smiley’s Pizzeria, at about 1 a.m. Sunday morning, heading north on Adelaide Street. Before he got home though, a bystander found him lying unconscious on the sidewalk, bleeding from his head.
Azizi’s family members say it is unclear how he ended up there.
“The doctors are not sure,” says Shabir Shahram, a relative. “They say they’re going to do some testing and see if he was unconscious first and then fell on the ground, or if this was caused by an accident. If it’s a hit-and-run.”
It’s believed Azizi was lying on the sidewalk for about a half hour before he was found, Shahram says. Police were then called and he was taken to Victoria Hospital, where he is undergoing multiple brain surgeries.
Ali Azizi being treated at Victoria Hospital’s intensive care unit, as seen on August 7, 2022. (Source: Shabir Shahram)Despite being in a coma, Azizi is in stable condition, according to Shahram.
“Last time I spoke to [the doctors], it’s probably three to four months’ recovery, the way it is,” he says. “We are just praying and hoping for the best for him and his family.”
“I was crying because he is my best friend,” says Wasae Oqaab, who also works at Smiley’s Pizzeria. “I don’t believe this happened.”
Azizi is married, with three young children. To help cover some of his potential recovery costs, a GoFundMe campaign has been set up.
CTV News London has reached out to London police for comment on any investigation, but is yet to receive a response.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Iran's judiciary confirms rapper Toomaj Salehi death sentence
Iran's judiciary confirmed the death sentence of well-known Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi but added that he is entitled to a sentence reduction, state media reported on Thursday.