BRITISH COLUMBIA TRAILER SPIN-OUT MAY BE CAUSE FOR WRONGFUL DEATH

They’re known as the elephants of the road, and, like elephants, require lots of space, move at a steady, slower pace, and are subject to special rules of the road. In British Columbia, as elsewhere in Canada, semi trucks are not always permitted in the passing lane for motorway safety reasons. Even when a semi driver legitimately ventures into the passing lane, speed must be calculated accordingly in order to avoid mishaps that could end tragically and give rise to the potential of a wrongful death lawsuit.

Recently, just such a deadly scenario occurred near Lac La Hache. Most likely, the final view a northbound motorist had was of two big trucks headed southbound appearing to outpace each other. One, a logging truck in the passing lane, veered so close to the other semi that it scraped it. The contact caused the logging truck’s trailer to swing into the northbound lane.

The northbound driver was killed by the powerful impact of that mighty swing. His young passenger reportedly suffered minor injuries. The truck drivers, as is often the case, suffered no injuries. The bereaved family may be reeling from an event that robbed them of a loved one who was the innocent victim of the sparring truckers.

RCMP are investigating whether factors like excessive speed, driver neglect or overloaded capacity played a role. In such accident events involving a fatality, a British Columbia lawyer experienced in wrongful death cases may provide valuable legal insights. He or she may also assist in quantifying damages, including end-of-life expenses — costs as wholly unexpected as they are sadly unwelcome.

Source: cbc.ca, “1 dead, 1 injured in crash near Lac La Hache, B.C.“, Jan. 12, 2018