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
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.