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Langley man awarded $91K in TransLink suit

Commuter's back was broken five years ago when transit bus hit a bump

TransLink has been ordered to pay a Langley man $91,000 for pain and suffering caused after his back was broken while commuting to work on a bus five years ago.

In a judgment issued on June 18, a B.C. Supreme Court judge said Coast Bus Company was liable for the accident that took place in 2010.

Mark Hutchinson, 58, was a passenger on a bus that went over a dip in the road near Scott Road, which caused him to be ejected from his seat and to hit the seat on the way down.

The crash caused a fractured vertebrae.

Other passengers were also thrown from their seats after going over the bump.

The accident was investigated and the bus driver said it was dark and raining lightly at the time he drove over the dip in the road.

Hutchinson could not drive for two months after the incident because of the pain.

He said his life has changed dramatically —  from an active lifestyle to someone who has been in constant pain for two years afterward.

The City of Surrey was initially named as a defendant in the case but was dropped from the case shortly before the trial began.



Monique Tamminga

About the Author: Monique Tamminga

Monique brings 20 years of award-winning journalism experience to the role of editor at the Penticton Western News. Of those years, 17 were spent working as a senior reporter and acting editor with the Langley Advance Times.
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