The family of a Surrey, B.C., woman who died in a car accident last month is warning the public that everyday objects carried in the back of your car can be lethal.
Heather Storey, 25, was killed by a laptop hitting the back of her head during a traffic accident on March 16.
Storey was driving to work when her Volkswagen Golf was struck by a large tow truck in the intersection of 103A and Scott Road. She died at the scene.
A crash reconstruction team found that the death could have been preventable, according to RCMP Cpl. Roger Morrow.
"Despite considerable damage to the car, investigators looked at the driver and passenger compartment and believed this was a survivable accident," Morrow said.
Storey's brother Michael Pratt was told initially by police she was struck by something inside her car.
"I believe the laptop was in the backseat. She had luggage with her for a business trip."
The coroner's findings confirm Storey died from blunt force trauma to the back of the head.
"When the car came to an abrupt halt the laptop sitting on the back seat of her car became a projectile and took her life," Morrow said.
The force of the blow was so strong that it shattered the screen of the computer and bent the frame.
"A laptop is an everyday instrument that a multitude of people carry on a day-to-day basis that we think nothing of having it unsecured inside the car," Morrow said.
"It's a tragic and preventable death."
