By Glenda Luymes, The Province

As she always did, Harpreet Kaur Mann decided to walk home from her evening shift at a Surrey KFC restaurant Thursday rather than trouble someone for a ride.

That simple decision, which family say was characteristic of the 37-year-old mother of two, led to tragedy when a car veered off 80th Avenue, crushing her against a telephone pole.

Family are demanding charges be laid against the 47-year-old woman who lost control of her Toyota Corolla and drove on to the sidewalk, killing Mann.

"We want to see charges from police," cousin Sukh Maan said Saturday."Thisshould not have happened."

Mann's children, a nine-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter, are missing their mother, he said.

"She was a very good person. Very helpful. If anyone needed her, she would be there."

Niece Navreet Gill said Mann was never without a smile.

"When I close my eyes, I hear her laugh. If anyone needed her for anything, she never hesitated to say no, yet when she needed help, she didn't want to bother anyone," she said.

Gill said Mann helped raise her in India before moving with family to Canada.

"Her two kids were her life," she said. "They called her all the time."

Police said they are investigating whether speed or alcohol played a role in the crash, which happened just before 11 p.m. Thursday on 80th Avenue near 122A Street.

Surrey RCMP Cpl. Drew Grainger also told CBC News that police would be checking the woman's cellphone records to see if distracted driving was a factor.

Witnesses are being asked to come forward.