'Not at all enough': Driver ticketed after smashing into parked car, pinning 3 adults

SURREY, B.C -

There were some terrifying moments at a family gathering when a driver appeared to speed down a residential neighbourhood street, slamming into a parked vehicle.

Behind the parked car were three women sitting on a bench.

“My mom and my sister-in-law were sitting on the big bench in front of the garage, and I sat down with them, and then within a few seconds, we got hit by the car,” said Gurpinder Curry.

It happened Monday afternoon, when Curry was visiting her family in Surrey from Summerland over the Canada Day long weekend.

The impact of the crash pushed the parked car into the bench, crushing the three women between the parked vehicle and the garage door.

“Some kind of a miracle, otherwise there was no chance the three of us can be alive,” Curry said.

Minutes before the crash, Jatinder Mann’s four-year-old son was riding his bike in the area. He was standing just steps away when the collision.

“It happened so fast. We are all in shock,” she said. “He was literally a couple of feet away from the incident…he's been traumatized. Ever since this happened, he sees a car passing by, he's like, ‘Mommy, I'm scared.’”

The family said the driver is a neighbour who lives two doors down.

He did not apologize or offer to help, the family said. Surveillance footage shows the man grabbing his backpack out of his vehicle and walking toward his home.

“He parks his car right there on the driveway on a daily basis. So, he knows that kids are playing all the time,” said Gaspbir Mann, the boy’s father. “There's slow down signs around the corner, and then one further up. So, for him to come at that speed, knowing all these things, makes no sense.”

DRIVER GIVEN TICKET

Surrey RCMP said the man was given a ticket under the motor vehicle act for driving without consideration.

They did not respond directly when asked whether the man was tested for having drugs or alcohol in his system.

In an update Monday, Mounties told CTV News the driver was not impaired.

"The officers who responded to the incident conducted a thorough investigation and impairment was ruled out as being a contributing factor," said Surrey RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Tammy Loeb, in an email.

"Distracted driving was a factor, which was why the driver was issued the violation ticket that he was." 

The family does not think issuing a violation ticket is sufficient.

"That is not at all enough," Curry said. "They are giving freedom for the violence."

“He put three people's lives on the line," said Jatinder Mann. "We are so frustrated. We're so upset."

Gaspbir Mann wants to ensure a thorough investigation is being done.

“Why was he going so fast in a dead-end street? In a cul-de-sac where there's kids that play, and there's signs that say slow down. We want answers,” he said.

WORRIED ABOUT NO-FAULT

As for Curry, she said her legs have soft tissue damage and she’s having difficulties walking.

She runs an at-home daycare and now has to hire two people, or else she’d have to temporarily close her business.

She is worried ICBC may not fairly compensate her under the no-fault system, in which she would not be able to pursue a lawsuit.

“Somebody's going to come and hit me while I'm sitting, right? So this is ICBC’s responsibility to take care of us now,” she said.

In a statement, ICBC said it has outlined the benefits available to Curry and has arranged an occupational therapist to visit her home.

“We’ll work with her to determine income replacement benefits,” it reads. “We’re committed to working with Ms. Curry and her care team and doing everything we can to support her in her recovery and ensure she receives all of the benefits available under Enhanced Care.”

It said under the former model, there would be no guarantees that she would be receiving what she needs and a trial would have taken years, with a lawyer taking a third of the settlement fees.