A Vancouver lawyer representing a girl orphaned in a deadly landslide in Pemberton, BC, last November said if the province closed the road in the unprecedented atmospheric river, it would not No one died that day.
Five people died in a ski crash on November 15, 2021 — including parents Mirsad and Anita Hadsic.
After a rare weekend away from their two-year-old daughter, the Hadsics are stranded in Vernon in a historic downpour. There is only one open road that can bring them back to their young daughter who is staying with her grandmother in Metro Vancouver: Duffey Lake Road.
“Obviously they wanted to choose a different route, but DriveBC told them that morning that the only available route back to the Lower Mainland was through the Duffey lifeline,” said Robert Gibbens, a Vancouver attorney. Lake Road, and that’s how they go about it.”
Hadsics’ vehicle was among dozens of vehicles stranded on the road after a small landslide blocked the road to Pemberton. They died along with three others when a massive wall of mud and debris collapsed minutes later.
Gibbens said: “The cause of the accident we are alleging is not only the fact that DriveBC notified and sent people through the area, but also that the logging road above was shut down. right way.
That makes the route more susceptible to landslides, he said, something government officials should have known when they decided which roads to close.
Gibbens filed a civil lawsuit against a road and provincial contractor on behalf of Hadsics’ daughter, identified in court documents by her initials ZH.
Gibbens said: ‘Grandma had to quit her job to take care of the little girl. “Hopefully we can raise some money to help her raise this baby.”
In a statement, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure said: “We would like to share our thoughts with the family and friends of loved ones who lost their lives in last year’s landslide. specific details of the case, would not be appropriate to comment as it is currently in court.
CLASS ACTION CERTIFICATE OF SUCCESSFUL LAWYERS
While Gibbens is suing on behalf of a little girl who lost her parents in a landslide, he is also required to certify the lawsuit as a class action so he can claim compensation for other victims. .
He was in contact with the family of another man who died and others injured and traumatized by the landslide.
“Someone lost their car, someone was taken to Pemberton hospital later, covered in mud. It’s been a traumatic experience for a lot of people and if they had to initiate an action on their own it wouldn’t make much sense,” Gibbens said.
A judge will rule on the class action next April. Whatever happens, Gibbens said his civil lawsuit on behalf of ZH will continue.
He said: “She is too young, she will probably never know her parents face. “Money isn’t the right yardstick for these things, but it’s the best we can do.”
