Jennifer Cormier and her mother Michelle Olson recall fond memories of Jennifer's husband, Quin, who was tragically killed in a workplace accident at Skaha Ford last April.

(STEVE ARSTAD / iNFOnews.ca)

FAMILY EXPRESSES GRATITUDE TO PENTICTON FOR OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT; THOUGHTS TURN TO MAN WHO ACCIDENTALLY KILLED HIM

PENTICTON - It’s been over a year now, but time has done little to erase the pain that lingers on.

Jennifer Cormier never suspected it was the last time she would see her husband alive after he dropped her off at the Penticton Sandman Inn where she worked the front desk on April 28, 2017.

After all, her husband Quin worked as a detailer at Skaha Ford in Penticton, certainly not what anyone would consider a dangerous job.

But according to a report just released by WorkSafe B.C., Quin was killed late that Friday morning when an untrained worker backed up a vehicle in the service bay, unaware that the mechanic hadn't restored full function.

The moving vehicle pinned Quin, who was standing near a parked pickup truck behind it in the service bay, killing him.

For Jennifer and her mom, Michelle Olson, they are left with only fond memories of the man they knew so well and loved.

Quin and Jennifer Cormier. Jennifer says she's been living 'in a bubble' since the accident.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Jennifer Cormier

“He was a cat lover,” Jennifer says from her home in Vernon, where she moved after the accident. She displays a photo of Quin in a selfie with his huge 13-year-old cat Taran.

“They were partners in crime. Taran used to stalk him,” Jennifer laughs. She describes him as a big kid with a huge comic book collection.

“He loved his comic books, but what people most remember about Quin is his sense of humour.” 

Jennifer says the two met through her brother-in-law. They met in December, 2008 and moved to Penticton in 2011 where Quin was born. The couple were married on March 27, 2015. By then, Quin was working at Skaha Ford as a detailer, off and on since May, 2011.

“He was a sweet man. He was wonderful to my daughter,” Olson says.

The couple had some family members in Penticton and felt the city would be a good place to work. They set up a household on Fairview Road not far from Skaha Ford and settled into a comfortable routine there.

“Quin was a talented musician. He could pretty much pick up any instrument and play it. He was an 80s music fan, and liked punk rock,” she adds, laughing because the two had widely varying tastes in music.

Quin was probably seen as a pretty quiet guy, Jennifer says, adding he suffered from anxiety that could result in a nervous start to his work week, generally on Tuesday.

“He never thought he mattered to anyone,” Olson says. “He would have been shocked to know how much he did.”

Quin loved his huge 13-year-old cat Taran.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Jennifer Cormier

Jennifer says she’s been living life “in a bubble” since the accident. Her family wanted her to be closer to them in Vernon, and moved her there shortly after Quin’s death.

“I want to express my gratitude towards the people of Penticton who reached out after the accident,” she said, adding clients of Skaha Ford who knew Quin brought flowers.

Jennifer says she found out about the circumstances about 24 hours after it happened.

WorkSafe B.C. reports the accident occurred when a service worker moved a vehicle that had just undergone a brake job. The brakes hadn’t been pumped to force brake fluid back into the system as was procedure, and when the worker tried to use the brakes they went to the floor and the vehicle backed into a truck that was also parked in the service bay.

Quin was crushed between the two vehicles.

“We often think of that worker,” Olson says, adding the man was only 19 years old and inexperienced in mechanical work.

“I didn’t know him personally. I think he was fairly new,” Jennifer says, echoing her mother’s thoughts.

Cormier was a talented musician who loved 80s music and punk.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Jennifer Cormier

“I was in the hospital for six hours that day, and by the time I got out, Quin’s name was in local media,” she says, complete with a photo of Quin from Facebook.

“I was irritated he had been named even before we had a chance to notify relatives. Everything blew up. It was brutal. A little more time would have been considerate,” she says, adding she is still receiving counselling.

“It’s been a pretty rough 15 months,” she says.

Quin was laid to rest in Spallumcheen cemetery, close to family members in Vernon and Armstrong.

Jennifer says he lies close to two best friends who died in a grad accident.

“Quin wasn’t a dressy guy. His favourite outfits were T-shirts, which a number of us wore to the interment. The funeral director was the only one in a suit,” she recalls.

She and Quin’s sister recently got matching tattoos of Quin’s initials, using a design of Quin’s making.

The first anniversary of Quin’s death was commemorated at Skaha Ford with a moment of silence on April 27 this year. Colleagues of Quin's have stayed in touch with Jennifer.

“He’ll be remembered for his sense of humour and hard work,” Jennifer says.

“He was a character.”

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