A 25-year-old woman has been convicted for the car accident deaths of a man and his daughter. In June 2010, the woman stopped her car along the highway in order to save a family of ducks. Tragically, a motorcyclist crashed into the woman’s vehicle. Both the 50-year-old motorcyclist and his 16-year-old daughter, who had been riding as a passenger on the motorbike, were killed.
The mother of the 16-year-old girl, the motorcyclist’s wife, was following the pair on a different motorcycle. She also collided with the parked car and suffered serious injuries.
The woman who stopped for the ducks was convicted of two individual counts for criminal negligence causing death. She was also convicted of two additional counts for dangerous driving causing death. A jury found her guilty of the offenses last June.
A trial for the woman was recently held in the Quebec Court of Appeal. Her defense lawyer argued that her conviction should be reviewed. Her defense lawyer felt that advice given to the jury panel by the previous judge forced them into convicting the woman. The appeal process is expected to continue for 12 to 18 months before it is completed.
When an individual is convicted of a crime relating to a fatal accident, the deceased person’s family may have viable claims for wrongful death damages under the law. Pursuable damages in such lawsuits may include money for end-of-life expenses including funeral and memorial costs. In some cases, family members may also be able to pursue money for lost family income resulting from the death of an income contributor in the family.
Source: CTV News, "Quebec woman who stopped for ducks allowed to appeal" Aug. 20, 2014
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