Raybar Mahmood was driving back with his mother after picking her up from a night shift at Tyson Foods when a pickup headed east on Interstate 40 crossed the grass median and struck their vehicle head-on, leaving no survivors.
Police reported that at 1:27 a.m. Friday, a 1997 Chevy 1500, driven by Joshua David Gardiner, 32, of Panhandle, was headed east on I-40.
While the cause is unknown, police said he lost control of the truck near the intersection with Highway 287 and crossed the center median, colliding with the 2007 Chevy Silverado driven by Mahmood.
Gardiner was thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene, police said.
Mahmood, 28, and his mother Nazanin Hameed, 60, also died from their injuries. Investigators have said that speed was a factor in the incident.
Namo Mahmood, brother to Raybar and son to Hameed, said his parents brought the family to the United States after fleeing Iraq in 1997.
His family had been excited about flying back to Iraq soon and returning with Raybar’s wife. They were to be married when the family returned.
“They were very hardworking, loving people,” Namo Mahmood said. “They were joyful and loved to talk with people and help people out.”
Friends of Raybar and Namo gathered at their house Friday and shared memories of Namo’s older brother. Friends remembered Mahmood as a jack-of-all-trades mechanic, who loved to work on his Toyota Supra.
“He was very happy, all the time. It was never a dull moment,” said Noah Goodson, Raybar’s best friend. “His mother was always smiling and was very loving to him.”
Story provided by Amarillo Globe-News.
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