Family of Langley crash victim deals with ‘bleak reality’ of his loss

The “bleak reality” of life without Gregg Paul is still sinking in for his family in Langley.

That’s the phrase used by his son-in-law Doug Reid, the family spokesperson, who said their new reality includes a painful recovery for Janice, Gregg’s wife, who was seriously injured in the Dec. 17 crash, and dealing with a new ICBC policy that limits compensation for spouses of accident victims.

Gregg and Janice were heading to their home in Willoughby, which they shared with Reid and his family, that evening.

“They were at a Christmas gathering with friends,” an annual tradition for the couple, Reid recalled, and they were almost home, “just down the street,” when it happened.

Langley RCMP said one vehicle, a BMW sedan, was waiting at the intersection around 10 p.m. when a Jeep approached from behind at a high rate of speed and clipped it, sending the SUV into the intersection where it crashed into a Hyundai sedan that was just entering 216th Street and 80th Avenue.

READ ALSO: VIDEO: Two dead, one critically injured in Langley intersection crash

Gregg, who was driving the Hyundai, and the driver of the Jeep, were pronounced dead at the scene.

At the time, Langley RCMP said “speed and alcohol were possible factors” in the crash.

Janice spent 10 days in hospital, “half of those day in the ICU,” after suffering fractures and internal injuries that required emergency surgery, Reid said..

Under ICBC’s no-fault system, which took effect in May 2021, the public insurer pays a lump sum to a surviving spouse, with the amount paid depending on the age and income of the deceased at the time of the crash.

Reid said the family has been told the maximum Janice can expect will be around $300,000.

“We’re thankful we have anything,” Reid told the Langley Advance Times, but lawyers have told the family it is far less than the amount Janice would have been entitled to under the previous system.

According to the lawyers, it would have been a “multi-million dollar payment” but “there’s nothing more [they] can do [now],” Reid told the Langley Advance Times.

READ ALSO: Fundraiser for victim of Willoughby crash triples initial goal

Meanwhile, a GoFundMe online fundraiser to help the family has raised $20,000 so far.

Janice Paul posted a thank-you to the “In memory of Gregg Paul” page saying “there are no words to express how deeply grateful my family and I are for the incredible out-pouring of support. I want to thank everyone who donated in memory of Gregg. He was the most amazing husband, father, grandfather, colleague and friend. Thank-you all for your support as we learn to navigate life without him. God Bless.”