A B.C. Hydro crew works to replace a pole in this undated file photo.
Image Credit: B.C. Hydro
October 24, 2021 - 2:20 PM
A Canadian Armed Forces member charged with careless driving following a fatal hit-and-run in 2019 is being sued by B.C. Hydro and the family of the deceased.
Reid McKnight, 32, of Kamloops was arrested last year following an investigation into a November 2019 collision that resulted in the death of three TRU international students and alumni.
In 2019, Kamloops RCMP responded to a vehicle crash on 1 Avenue and Battle Street. A 2008 red Dodge Charger with four male passengers was driving southbound on 1 Avenue and had the right of way as it passed through the Battle Street intersection.
A blue 2019 Ford Ranger was driving fast westbound on Battle Street and failed to stop at a stop sign, entering the intersection and striking the Dodge Charger causing a major collision, according to the RCMP.
Three of the passengers, aged 22, 27 and 30, died from injuries sustained in the crash. The fourth man suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
READ MORE: Police arrest, charge driver in 2019 triple fatal Kamloops hit and run
McKnight is charged with failing to stop at the scene of an accident where a death occurred, careless driving causing death and careless storage of firearms, a charge that came from when police were executing a search warrant in his home and seized firearms unrelated to the collision.
In a lawsuit filed Oct. 19 in the Provincial Court of B.C., B.C. Hydro alleges McKnight was operating a motor vehicle that caused a collision at the intersection of 1st Avenue and Battle Street in Kamloops, resulting in damages to B.C. Hydro property, including damage to a utility pole.
“McKnight owed a duty to operate the motor vehicle with due care and attention and the breach of this duty caused damages to B.C. Hydro’s equipment,” according to the lawsuit.
The Crown corporation wants $17,089.23 in damages for the cost of repair and replaced of the equipment.
A family member of one of the men, Kelvin Adeojo Oluwatosin, who died in the collision, is also suing McKnight.
The lawsuit was filed in the Supreme Court of B.C. June 3, by Tempitope Sabina Akinyemi, Oluwatosin’s sister, on behalf of his estate, alleging the collision and death of Oluwatosin was caused by the negligence of McKnight.
She is seeking general damages, special damages and damages under the Family Compensation Act as well as costs, according to the court documents.
In a response filed Oct. 22, McKnight said Akinyemi and those she represents sustained no injury, loss, damage, or expense as a result of the collision and some of the beneficiaries of the estate are not the spouse, parents, or children of Oluwatosin and are not entitled to recover under any head of damage.
He also denied he was at fault for the collision.
None of these allegations have been proven in court. A trial date has yet to be set in relation to his criminal charges.
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