SOMETHING'S WRONG

Dear Sir:

Since when is impaired driving not a crime?

Two Terrace truck drivers, D.Ganson and R. Brown, were killed when D.
Hart used his semi trailer as a murderous weapon near Williams Lake.
He had high levels of drugs in his body -- amphetamines, meth and cocaine.

This truck driver caused vehicles to veer off Highway 97. A RCMP
vehicle had to leave the pavement. There was a pursuit.

Now three men are dead. Hart crossed into oncoming traffic ramming
his truck into that of Brown and Ganson.

Obviously a WorkSafeBC case, right? The innocent drivers' families
should receive compensation. "No!" stated the Workers Compensation
Appeal Tribunal (WCAT).

Why? Because all three men were working -- on the clock -- at the
time of the tragedy. Hart was impaired. All agree to that. His
actions killed two innocent men, Ganson and Brown.

It appeared to be a double homicide/suicide. Two innocent people
gone. These useless deaths left their families in shock, mourning and in debt.

A case for victims restitution? No. Criminal injury-death? No.

So let's get this straight. An impaired truck driver kills two men
and no one is responsible. Seems that way.

An ICBC representative said that long haul drivers' use of stimulants
was "a well known fact" that ICBC doesn't condone. What? Doesn't
condone? It's a criminal act! Crazy or strange.

Leaving two innocent families without fathers and without help also
seems unbelievable.

The victims are again victimized if not abused by the "system". They
have to jump through hoops -- go through a trial -- and find out that
an impaired driver killed their loved ones and society thinks it's O.K.

Sad, isn't it? One could say criminal. You can read the details
yourself by going to www.wcat.bc.ca/research. Enter 'Decision 2006-04412'.

Connie Delmarque Smith,

Terrace, B.C.