A mother whose daughter died 11 years ago under the wheels of a snow removal truck has renewed her call for the city of Montreal to impose better safety measures. Jessica Holman-Price died in 2005 after she pushed her brother away from a truck but slid under the wheels herself.
In December 2016, Dereck Husband was hit by a snow removal truck in a borough of Montreal and was dragged several metres before he died. This kind of story is not new in Canada.
Vast fleets of big trucks dispatched
Whenever snow accumulates, huge trucks are dispatched to clear snow off streets and, in Montreal, they collect it and take it away. Some of the vehicles are operated by the city itself, but others are owned and operated by private contractors.
City of Montreal trucks already have side guards to prevent pedestrians from sliding under the wheels. But Jeanette Holman-Price wants the city to oblige all trucks to have side guards, mirrors and cameras. She told CBC News her “life has been destroyed” by her daughter’s death and her efforts to get compensation for herself and her son.
Call for change across Canada
Holman-Price has teamed up with an opposition city councillor to lobby for change at the municipal level. A Montreal city official says the administration has been talking to Canada’s transportation minister to try to get legislation that would increase snow removal safety across the country.
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