TRAGIC CRASH IN BRITISH COLUMBIA CAUSE FOR WRONGFUL DEATH

Some highways are treacherous and the scene of road fatalities more often than others. Excessive speed, or sometimes human error, can also be the cause of critical injury or loss of life. When several negatives converge, however, an entire family can perish. The immeasurable repercussions of such a tragedy can form the foundation for a wrongful death lawsuit.

On a rainy day in July 2011, a semi was winding its way along Highway 93, a circuitous road stretching through Kootenay National Park. The driver of the semi was hauling two trailers across a steep curve where signage posted the need to slow down rather than maintain speed. The driver, later found by a British Columbia court to have been insufficiently trained, made an error in judgment and took the curve too fast, activating the engine brakes. The two trailers being hauled catapulted onto oncoming traffic, killing a family of four.

Accidents involving semis along British Columbia highways occur too frequently, and many, including the dead man’s brother, believe that the speed limits posted along such steep and winding roads should be reduced. In this case, a lack of proper training and poor driver judgment were primary factors influencing the fatal outcome and added to road fatality statistics. Statistics are a poor measurement of the shock and grief suffered by relatives and friends of the family.

The loss of a brother, sister-in-law and two young nieces in one fell swoop is insurmountably tragic. A wrongful death lawsuit carried out by an experienced personal injury law practitioner might ease the family’s way through the life-altering aftermath. Ensuring essentials through legal counsel such as end-of-life and related expenses as well as the costs of grief counselling would help advance the healing process.

Source: British Columbia – CBC News, “Brother of crash victim urges B.C. truckers to slow down“, Yvette Brend, July 20, 2017