Chelsea Lynn Mist James was 23 when she died after falling out of a party bus in Vancouver in 2016. She was the victim of a pneumatic door with a history of malfunctions and a system that allowed it to pass inspection.
She was a young woman who had an income, but did not have dependants, and sadly had no worth under BC’s inadequate wrongful death laws. Our laws only value people based on their future lost income if they also had dependents. Unlike all the other Canadian provinces and the Yukon, there are currently no bereavement damages available for families under BC law.
A B.C. coroner’s report on the 2016 death of a young woman who fell out the door of a moving party bus recommends the creation of a tracking system to ensure commercial vehicles comply with safety inspection orders.
The parents of a 12-year-old girl who died after her leg was sucked into a drainage pipe at a man-made lake in northeastern B.C. are hoping their lawsuit against the city and others will lead to legislative changes.
A young man, Hudson Brooks, was unnecessarily killed by a Surrey RCMP officer, Cst Elizabeth Cucheran. The RCMP fabricated an alternative narrative of the circumstances leading up to the shooting.
Despite a long fight by the family and with immense support from the community, Crown has since dropped the charges against the officer.
Sadly, under BC’s antiquated wrongful death laws, unlike the other provinces, Hudson’s life had no value, and the family will also be robbed of the ability to uncover the truth and obtain justice in civil court as well.
