In what was listed as Toronto’s first traffic fatality of 2014, a 39-year-old woman died when a vehicle hit her as she walked across the street on Jan. 19. Authorities reported that a 19-year-old man was driving a 2002 Pontiac Grand Am near Northcliffe Boulevard and Eglinton Avenue West when his vehicle struck her at about 9:45 p.m. While police do not anticipate filing charges for the auto-pedestrian accident, they were still investigating the fatality at the time of the report.
The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver was not injured, but his vehicle was damaged. It is not believed that alcohol or drugs contributed to the accident, but it was not clear if speed or a mechanical problem was a factor.
In Brampton, two men were killed at approximately 4:45 p.m. that same day in a head-on collision on Bovaird Drive after a vehicle, for an unknown reason, travelled across a concrete median and into another car near Worthington Avenue. Authorities reported that one vehicle was driven by a 59-year-old man, and a 37-year-old man drove the other car with two passengers. Both drivers were killed. The younger driver’s wife and their child were transported to a medical facility with non-life-threatening injuries.
Even when criminal charges are not filed following a fatal accident, the family of the deceased might choose to hold the responsible party accountable for his or her actions. A wrongful death lawsuit after a deadly crash might help the family recover their funeral expenses and the lost wages of their loved one. Such a claim might also take the loss of companionship into consideration.
Source: Toronto Sun, “Three killed on GTA roads“, Maryam Shah, January 20, 2014
