Ontario Provincial Police continue to investigate a crash that took the life of a teen hockey player on Aug. 21. The collision happened on the southwest bypass of Highway 17 between Fielding Road and Southview Drive at nearly 11:30 p.m.
Authorities say that a pickup truck travelling west on the highway crashed head on into a car and another pickup truck that were heading east. The wrong-way driver suffered non-life-threatening injuries but was still in hospital on Aug. 23. The man operating the eastbound pickup suffered minor injuries and was released from hospital after receiving treatment.
However, the 18-year-old boy in the eastbound Subaru was pronounced deceased on the scene. The teen played for Great North Midget League team Sudbury Nickel Capital Wolves. On the night of the motor vehicle accident, he was driving home after trying out for Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League team Sudbury Nickel Barons.
The teenager’s former team general manager said that he received a text at around 1:30 a.m. about the crash. He stayed up to piece together what happened and found out that three of the boy’s former teammates were some of the first people at the scene of the accident.
Head-on collisions can be some of the most severe types of traffic accidents and are likely to cause serious to fatal injuries. When crash victims die because of the negligence of other drivers, their surviving family might be able to recover the damages.
If the victims were hospitalised before their deaths, the survivors may receive compensation that pays for travel expenses. Wrongful death compensation could reimburse them for funeral and burial expenses and for the loss of household income. The survivors might also be compensated for loss of care, guidance and companionship. If the survivors need counselling to help them deal with the loss of their loved ones, that expense may be covered as well.