The Ontario Provincial Police have taken a 32-year-old man into custody following a fatal accident in Alliston. The crash killed a 41-year-old New Tecumseth public works employee, and a female co-worker suffered serious injuries in the incident. Sources say that the two were struck while they were working on the shoulder of Victoria Street West shortly before 3 a.m. on June 20.
In addition to his job with public works, the deceased man was also a New Tecumseth volunteer fighter. He died of his injuries in a Toronto hospital after having been airlifted from Stevenson Memorial Hospital in Alliston. The female victim was listed in a non-life-threatening condition at a hospital.
Police say that the victims were hit by a westbound pickup truck as they were painting traffic lines on the road’s shoulder. Although the driver left the scene of the scene of the auto-pedestrian accident, he was apprehended a short time later. The man was charged with impaired driving causing bodily injury and failing to remain. Sources report that the deceased victim has not been publicly identified pending the notification of his family.
A hit-and-run can potentially pose problems for the purposes of liability determination and compensation. Victims of a negligent driver’s actions are often entitled to seek compensation, but their efforts to do so may be blocked if investigators cannot the at-fault driver. However, it is sometimes possible to locate the driver of a hit-and-run and hold them accountable for their actions.
The family of a deceased accident victim can file a wrongful death claim, and a personal injury claim would be filed by an injured party. Both claims might seek compensation for any accident-related expenses, such as medical expenses that were not covered through insurance claims. Non-economic damages may also be sought.
Source: Simcoe.com, “Town worker dies in hospital after being hit by truck in Alliston“, June 20, 2014
