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NEWSPAPER SINCE 1369

October 4, 1987 News 985-2131

Classified 986-6222

Distribution 986-1337

36 puyes 25¢

A Pan

Victim’s famil

CONFLICTING RECONSTRUCTIONS of a motor vehicle
accident that resulted in the death of a 30-year-old North
Vancouver motorcyclist have left the dead man’s parents
distraught and their lawyer preparing for 2 civil suit against

the driver of the other vehicle.

Brian Allinson died at Lions

Gate Hospital on the evening of

Aug. 4 after suffering massive in-
ternal injuries, including two col-
lapsed lungs, a ruptured spleen, a
destroyed liver and a broken back,
in the accident which occurred
hours earlier.

The injuries resulted after Allin-
son’s Harley Davidson motorcycle
and a Honda car driven by Jon
Millar collided just after 7 p.m. at
the intersection of Fourth Street
and St. Andrews Avenue in North
Vancouver.

According to North Vancouver
RCMP Staff Set. Larcy Boan, an
independent engineer's reconstruc-
tion of the accident commissioned
by the police puts the approximate
speed of the motorcycle at 25 to 30
m.p.h. and the speed of the car at
12to 15 m.p.h, at point of impact.

But father Al Allinson, 58, said
investigation on behalf of his
lawyer, Jim McNeney, indicates

By MICHAEL BECKE |

Millar's car was moving at 50
m.p.h. and the motorcycle at 20 to
25 in.p.h.

Derek Jones, a private in-
vestigator working for McNeney,
said statements collected from
witnesses of the fatal accident
support the high-speed accident
reconstruction,

Said Allinson: **The night Brian
got killed, the surgeon told me the
condition of Brian showed he was
involved in a high-speed impact."*

Garry Daniels, an independent
insurance adjustor working on
behalf of ICBC, said he is still
awaiting an engineer's report on
the accident.

“The reconstruction engineer
will likely come up with a range of
speed,’’ Daniels said, ‘‘but he fel
the motorcycle was travelling twice

Kick in
to
sports
PAGE 39

Mind
your
inanners
PAGE 31

NEWS photo Cindy Bellamy

SEAGULLS TAKE flight beneath the Lions Gate Bridge against the backdrop of the -{
setting sun. The North Shore has been blessed recently with magnificent West Coast {

sunsets.

the speed of the car.’’

But said Daniels, *‘At this stage,
it appears that a good portion of
the responsibility will rest with the
driver (of the car)."’

A Crown counsel investigation
of evidence continues and a d:<i-
sion on charges is pending.

In a meeting Friday with Crown
counsel and police, Allinson said
he was told the Crown plans to lay
the most serious charges applicable
against the car’s driver.

Said Allinson: ‘I'm raising a
stink because it’s time going
through stop signs or failing to
vield right of way became more
serious offences. | know I can't do
anything for Brian. [n the past 15
years of driving I've been hit twice
by people running stop signs. | was
lucky because f was driving a
van."”

Millar was originally issued a
ticket for failing to yield the right
of way after stopping for a stop
sign.

Said McNenev: ‘As a result of
our investigations, we feel very
confidem regarding the civil aspect
of the case and are considering a
civil lawsuit under the Families

y plans civil suit

Compensation Act.”
Allinson’s mother, 59-vear-old
Elsie Allinson, said the last month

——+

VICTEM'S mother Elsie Allin-
son...°°F would just like to see the
truth coming out."

has been ‘‘nerve-rackine’’ for the
family.

“Et would just fike to see the
truth coming out.”’ she said. ‘It's
very tragic that nothing has been
settied.”*

Said Al Allinson: “I’m angry.

There was no breathalyzer test
taken of the driver although, ac-
cording to witnesses, there were
beer bottles in the car. Statements
weren’t taken from. several
witnesses. Police wouldn’t give me
information about the case. We
might as well have Barney Fife and
the Keystone Cops running the
show here.”’

But said Staff Set. Boan, ‘You
can understand their frustrations,
but you have to weigh all of the
circumstances. The officer on the
scene said there was no alcohol in
the vehicle and the driver appeared
perfectly normal. There were no
front brakes on the motoreycle and
the engineer thought the back
brakes had about 30 per cent brak-
ing power. Witnesses said the
Allinson boy's left) arm = was
holding a bag with just the right
arm on the handle bar. When that
car pulled out, he couldn't take
evasive action.”’

Boan said the delay in the case's
investigation stemmed from a wait
for slood test results on Allinson.
He said those results show a low
blood-alcohol count that was
under the legal limit.

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