The B.C. ferry Queen of the North sank off the north coast of British Columbia three years ago on Sunday, taking with it two lives. There are still very few answers about what went wrong that night.
The images taken of the huge ferry under water are still just as unbelievable as the event itself, a large ferry with 101 people onboard slamming into an island in the middle of the night and sinking.
On the night of the accident, a haunting distress call went out: "Traffic this is Queen of the North, Queen of the North, Queen of the North. Queen of the North, traffic, go ahead. Traffic, traffic we have run aground..."
Three years after that call went out and the ferry went to the bottom, questions and uncertainty continue to swirl.
Last year, the Transportation Safety Board issued a report into the sinking, but failed to say who was at fault or why. Several lawsuits were launched, two by the families of Gerald Foisy and Shirley Rossette, who died in the accident, but most have been settled out of court, meaning testimony and evidence remains secret.
Questions have always centred around two members of the crew, fourth officer Karl Lilgert and quartermaster Karen Briker.
Both were fired by B.C. ferries for refusing to divulge what happened in the crucial 14 minutes right before the ferry ran aground. What is known is the pair had just ended a romantic relationship and that evidence has emerged that Briker may have been left alone on the bridge after the two had an argument.
Queen of the North was a lifeline for many communities. Its sinking had a huge impact on tourism and threw the region's economy into uncertainty.
And its replacement ferry arrived in B.C. from its makers in Germany just two weeks ago.
"We still have not gotten back to normal in terms of our traffic," said Steve Smith, a Prince Rupert Hotel Operator.
Many on the north coast are in disbelief it's been so long and no one's been held accountable.
"Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would take three years to bring this to the light of the courts and I'm very disappointed. I think it's got to bring some closure to the families. I mean, at the end of the day, two people died," said Smith
There is still the possibility of criminal charges, but so far no charges have been laid.
"We submitted a report to crown counsel back in November and we're presently awaiting a decision from them as to whether charges will be approved," said RCMP Cpl Annie Linteau.
Despite the fact it's been three years, the ferry-travelling public and those impacted by the sinking will just have to continue to wait and hope that one day some answers and some semblance of accountability for what happened will finally emerge.
With a report by CTV British Columbia's Stephen Smart.
