ILL-FATED WRONGFUL DEATH A WORLD AWAY IN BRITISH COLUMBIA
Beginning a new life with one’s young family in a country thousands of miles away takes courage and persistence. Sometimes people emigrate from their native home to join up with relatives who have already taken the plunge. Others envision enormous possibilities for personal success awaiting them in the new land. When death strikes, suddenly and needlessly, civil law in British Columbia provides for recourse through the potential of a wrongful death lawsuit.
Barely months after relocating his family to the province’s capital, a restaurant worker walking along a sidewalk was struck by an SUV. The impact carried such force that one of his legs had to be amputated in hospital. Sadly, this life-saving measure was not sufficient and the life of the 31-year-old was forfeited. The father of a 4-year-old and husband of a wife pregnant with twins, his dreams for a future together, and theirs, were crushed in one tragic blow.
Details are still unclear as to what caused the SUV to veer off Gorge Road, fatally strike the young pedestrian and end up crashing into a nearby park area. The injuries suffered by the young woman driving the car were not considered life-threatening. It is clear that the menace to life and limb here was to the victim of an appalling event. The family of the ill-fated newcomer has received community support over this poignant loss, as authorities continue to investigate.
The family’s grief leaves little space to process what seems incomprehensible. The assistance of an able British Columbia personal injury lawyer experienced in navigating wrongful death lawsuits might ease the family’s way forward. Ascertaining where fault may lie and quantifying the potential scope of damages incurred, such as end-of-life expenses and the loss of breadwinner income, might conceivably help recapture, if not restore, some part of this bereft family’s stolen dreams.
Source: cbc.ca, “New immigrant to Victoria, B.C., dies from injuries after being struck by SUV“, Oct. 22, 2017