A New Brunswick judge has criticized the provincial government for ignoring repeated warnings about a dangerous intersection and awarded an accident victim $500,000.
In 2000, Brenda Firth was hit by another driver, France Bosse, at the corner of Salmon Boulevard, Matheson Street and Mountain Road in Campbellton, N.B.
Campbellton Judge Raymond Guérette ordered the government to pay Firth $250,000. The remainder will be paid by the other driver.
Firth has suffered chronic pain since the accident and had to give up her career as a nurse at a nursing home.
A guardrail blocks the view of oncoming traffic on Salmon Boulevard, meaning drivers like Bosse end up nosing into the intersection by about 11 metres.
Evidence in court showed the province had been warned about the problem several times.
There were 21 accidents, including two fatalities, at the intersection over 10 years.
The government has argued that the intersection does comply with national guidelines, but in his ruling Guérette said the province ignored other guidelines related to sight obstructions.
The province has been negligent both in designing the intersection and in refusing to fix it, Guérette said.
"We are aware that the ruling has been made and we are reviewing the information, and the judge's decision, and at this point we haven't made a decision on how to proceed," said Tracey Burkhardt, spokesperson with the Department of Transportation.
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