On the morning of Tuesday, April 9, my daughter was involved in a serious head-on car crash due to an oily diesel slick left on the Corcan Road underpass. The oil diesel slick was from a commercial truck I’m told. It was more than 14 kilometres long, from Meadow/Corcan Road to Oceanside and down the street where the truck was finally pulled over and attended by police.
My daughter had no way of avoiding this slick as she came down the hill and around the corner. She had no brakes or steering at this point due to the amount of diesel on the road and hit another vehicle in the opposite lane. Yet she has been made the scapegoat. Where is the justice?
We are getting the run around with ICBC and we were told if we don’t like their ruling, we can take it to court. As a student, it was hard enough to buy a car and her own insurance, and now she is supposed to chase everybody at her own expense through the courts? She needs a car to go to school, work and university this September.
Meanwhile, the truck driver who allegedly caused this massive spill and accident walks away. I’m told the clean-up bill has been given to ICBC. If my daughter is responsible for the operation of her car, why isn’t the driver of the commercial vehicle held responsible for the proper maintenance of his commercial truck? If ICBC accepts the claim for the spill’s clean-up, why not my daughters claim?
After exhausting all avenues with the insurance company and police, we were told to go chase the insurance company or get a lawyer which goes back to: what can a 17-year-old girl afford to pay? The consequences for my daughter are dire: no car, no transportation to and from work or North Island College and a huge blotch on her driving record that will make her insurance not affordable for the next three years, and literally a pain in the back to go with it all.
I am looking for anyone who might have information or photos regarding the driver/owner of the vehicle. I would sincerely appreciate hearing from anyone else that also had an accident or had to have their car brakes serviced as a result of this incident.
Please help me find justice for my daughter and contact Susanne at 250-738-0782 or e-mail dieselslick@outlook.com.
Susanne Whitern
Qualicum Beach