2 dead, 3 with non-life-threatening injuries after accident on Tates Creek Road

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) – Two people were killed and three were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries in a one-car crash at the intersection of Tates Creek and Turkeyfoot Road early Saturday morning, according to Lexington police.

It is the worst nightmare of every parent and family member: they receive a call that their child or a family member has died.

Ahmade Shalash knows this kind of pain all too well. It took less than 24 hours for him to learn that his two cousins, 13-year-old Omar Shalash and 18-year-old Hasan Mohammad Hasan, had died in a car accident.

“Today we had to bury my brothers and you never know when that day will come,” Shalash explains. “It's hard, you know. It's hard, especially with… It feels like two young lives have been taken from us. They were two vibrant young boys. I watched Omar grow up, I knew Hasan too. He – both of them were – was just amazing to be around. They were just great individuals.”

In the Islamic community, it is tradition to bury a person within 24 hours of their death. Everyone in the community gathers to pray at the masquerade, followed by an open burial in the Muslim cemetery: “In the Islamic tradition, this is one of the most rewarding things you can do. It is a powerful moment. It is a moment when you realize that our time here is short and you can make the most of it by being good to your neighbor, being good to your family. Being a positive energy for the people around you.”

Shalash says he last saw his cousins ​​at his wedding.

“I think I didn't believe it until I saw them putting their bodies in the grave, and now I think I'm still trying to process it as reality. One day you see them and you smile and laugh, and the next day they're gone,” Shalash said.

Shalash says that in Islamic tradition, death is not final, and it is a comfort to him to know that he will see her again: “You don't question God's fate.”

“Leave as much of a mark on people as you can. You never know when your last moment will be. That's why every smile and every interaction with your family should count. I can say that I have only good memories with Omar and Hasan,” Shalash said.