Jagjeet Sidhu lost his wife and a big chunk of his life when an unsafe van overloaded with farm workers crashed in Abbotsford in 2007.
Now, he says, he's "very upset" that the only charges to proceed today in Abbotsford Provincial Court are under the Motor Vehicle Act and not the Criminal Code.
Harwinderpal Kaur Gill, the driver of the van, is facing four counts. The registered corporate owner of the vehicle, RHA Enterprises Ltd., is also charged with four counts.
Each charge carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $2,000 fine.
"I feel my wife's life was not worth anything," Sidhu said yesterday. "She was only worth $2,000."
Criminal Justice Branch spokesman Stan Lowe said the RCMP did not recommend criminal charges.
Sidhu's wife, Sarbjit Kaur Sidhu, 30, the mother of three young children, was one of three female farm workers killed in the March 7 crash.
Also killed were Amarjit Kaur Bal, 52, and Sukhvinder Kaur Punia, 46.
Fourteen others were injured when the driver lost control on the wet highway and crashed.
A WorkSafe B.C. report blamed the accident on overloading, poor tire maintenance, lack of seat-belts, inadequate driver qualification, road conditions and vehicle instability.
There were 16 passengers and Gill in the vehicle, which was allowed to carry only 14 passengers. Only the driver and the front-seat passenger had the required seat-belts.
Its a sad time for anyone losing a loved one, but the victim climbed into a loaded van and not realizing the consequences that could happen. Its like climbing into a car with someone drinking. There should have been a protest or the husband should have stepped up to the plate and asked for a second or third van to be used or drive his wife to the work place. If climbing into an overloaded vehicle one should realize the consequence that its not worth to be paid minimal wage for a life threatening situation.
Author: Frank Lubra
http://www.theprovince.com/Victim+husband+upset+criminal+charges+crash/1089633/story.html
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