WEATHER MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO FATAL ONTARIO 2-CAR ACCIDENT

Two people died following a two-car accident that occurred in British Columbia on Jan. 23. Police said that weather may have been a contributing factor in the crash, which occurred when one of the vehicles involved lost control and struck the other.

The accident happened around 7:40 p.m. on Highway 1 between Chilliwack and Hope. A spokesperson from RCMP said that a grey Ford Focus was travelling in a westbound lane of the highway when its driver apparently lost control of the vehicle and crossed the centre median. It travelled into the eastbound lanes, where it collided head-on with a black Chevrolet Aveo near Peters Road.

Emergency personnel pronounced the Focus’ driver dead at the scene of the crash. The Aveo’s driver died later in hospital in Chilliwack. The deceased drivers were a 67-year-old Hope woman and a 72-year-old Hope man. A passenger who was riding in the Focus suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment.

The RCMP spokesperson said that investigators believed that adverse weather conditions contributed to the accident. Reports indicated that heavy rains in the area caused floods and slick roadways. However, police said that investigators were still looking into other possible causes of the accident.

During adverse weather, drivers can control their responses to slick roadways and other hazards. Drivers who speed in rainy conditions risk losing control of their vehicles on wet streets. They may cause fatal car accidents when they collide with other vehicles because of their negligence. When such accidents occur, personal injury lawyers might be able to advise family members of deceased victims of their eligibility to seek compensation from the estates of deceased drivers for damages resulting from the deaths of their loved ones.

Source: CTV Vancouver, “Horrific two-car crash on Highway 1 leaves 2 dead,” Jan. 24, 2015