Friday, December 13, 2013
Tragic: Salim Nuh leaves behind 10 children after she was killed in a head-on collision on Sunday
• No drugs, alcohol or cell phones are suspected to be a factor in the crash
• Victim Salim Nuh was a women's empowerment activist in Maine's Somali community
• Firefighter Robert Robitaille has taken a leave of absence to process what had happened
A tragic car crash in Maine over the weekend has left 10 children without a mother, a husband without a wife and a firefighter riddled with guilt.
Salim Nuh, a 37-year-old mother of 10 -- who survived living in two Somalian refugee camps before coming to America in 2004 - was killed when her Volkswagon Passat collided with a pickup truck driven by Robert Robitaille, a captain with the Brunswick Fire Department.
Adding to the tragedy is the fact that Nuh was seven months pregnant at the time of her death. The baby did not survive.
Nuh's husband, Abdi Maalim - with whom she survived the refugee camps and migration to America - is devastated.
'It's a big loss for me and I'm not going to see her anymore,' Maalim told WGME through an interpreter.
According to the Portland Press Herald, Robitaille was traveling west on Route 196 in Topsham on Sunday afternoon when his truck crossed over the median and collided head-on with Nuh.
Robitaille was taken to a local hospital, where he was treated for scrapes and bruises and released. Authorities suspect that Robitaille may have fallen asleep at the time of the accident.
Initially, he said he might have fallen asleep,' Lt. Frederick Dunn told the paper.
Authorities say they don't suspect drugs, alcohol or cell phone use contributed to the crash, but say they are investigating whether a medical condition could have played a factor.
Robitaille is taking an 'agreed-upon leave' from the department to process the incident.
'It's not easy for anyone in this situation,' Brunswick Fire Chief Ken Brilliant said.
Nuh was a women's empowerment activist in Lewiston, Maine's Somali community and served on the board of the Somali Bantu Community Mutual Assistance Association of Lewiston/Auburn.