Information regarding collisions.
Kurtis William Rock was an 18 year old who spent the day drinking beer in the park with friends. At the conclusion of the drinking session he loaded two minors in his mother's Buick Rendezvous and entered traffic in the City of Vancouver.
Chelsea Fisher was driving westbound on 43 Avenue just past 32 Street in Vernon. She was approaching the intersection where traffic for the mall entered onto 43 Avenue in a T intersection to her right. Robert Karol had stopped at the stop sign to exit the mall parking lot and intended to turn left onto 43 Avenue. He proceeded from the stop sign, did not yield to Ms. Fisher and a collision resulted.
Who would have thought that a laptop could turn out to be a lethal weapon? Likely not Heather Story who was involved in what would otherwise have been a survivable crash in Surrey. According to the coroner, her death was likely caused by the laptop she had on the back seat striking the back of her head during the collision.
What do the words driving without due care and attention actually mean? Section 144 MVA says that a person must not drive a motor vehicle on a highway without due care and attention but does not go on to explain what it is. This trial involving a collision that killed a motorcycle rider is one example.
It used to be common knowledge that you must report a collision to police if there is death, injury, aggregate damage over $1,000 for motor vehicles, $800 for motorcycles and $100 for cycles. After changes to the law effective on July 1, 2008 this is no longer the case. Collisions do not have to be reported to police, or anyone else, to fulfil the reporting requirements of the Motor Vehicle Act.
Fortunately for us all, the majority of collisions in British Columbia don't involve injury or death. Rather they leave us feeling foolish and facing a significant dollar amount of property damage. How do you protect yourself in the event of a collision like this, especially since the police may not attend property damage or minor injury crashes?
I was driving through Nanaimo on a day off and approching an intersection showing me a green light. Just as I entered, I heard a loud crash and glanced to my left. One vehicle had attempted a turn across the highway and had gotten into the way of oncoming traffic.
I glanced into my rearview mirror and watched the car cross over the highway behind me and stop in the ditch. What to do now?