A ceremony was held in the main lobby of the Confederation Building on Wednesday for the National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims, remembering those who died on Canada’s roads and those affected by their loss, and also providing an opportunity to raise awareness and promote education about safe driving practices. A makeshift memorial to the victims was set up in the lobby for the event.
Among those who attended and spoke at the event was Gail Thorne of New Harbour, mother of Hannah Thorne, who was killed on the New Harbour Barrens on July 7, 2016. Hannah and her grandmother, Gertie Thorne, were travelling home in their small Hyundai car when it was struck head-on by a Ford F-150 pickup truck travelling at 160 km/h in the 80 km/h zone.
Two men faced a series of charges stemming from the accident and were found guilty and subsequently sentenced to prison for 8 and 10 years respectively.