A civil trial involving dozens of people who were injured when a deck collapsed at a wedding celebration in Aldergrove three years ago will finally go to trial early next year.
According to B.C. Supreme Court’s civil registry, the trial is set to begin on Jan. 16 in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver.
On April 19, 2019, a second-storey deck attached to an Aldergrove home that had been rented for the pre-wedding events collapsed, with at least 40 people injured in the incident.
BC Ambulance Service paramedics, Air Ambulance helicopters, firefighters, and RCMP rushed to the scene to provide first aid and rush many of the victims to hospital.
Members of the family who rented the house said that at least two people were in critical condition at Royal Columbian Hospital after the incident.
With so many injured, when lawsuits started to be filed, there were literally dozens of plaintiffs claiming damages. By early 2021, there were at least 30 claims.
One victim listed injuries including ankle fractures, neck, shoulder, and back injuries, lacerations, mood disruptions, anxiety, chronic pain, and sleep disorders.
The lawsuits targeted Amaroo Estate, the company that rented out the Aldergrove home for events, but also the previous owners of the home, the presumed builders of the deck, and Langley Township.
One recent filing listed 17 defendants, including individuals, corporations and numbered companies, the Township, and two John Doe defendants. It also listed 20 third parties to the lawsuit.
The Township has claimed in its court filings that the deck was illegally built, and that the event rentals business that operated the house for weddings did not have a business license.
Case management hearings for the complex multi-party lawsuit were taking place as early as the spring of 2021.
Some claims have been modified or dropped over the years since the lawsuits began, court records show.
PREVIOUSLY: Two victims of Aldergrove deck collapse in ICU, several others still in hospital