A lawsuit is being launched by the family and estate of a Mount Brydges woman who died when her car slammed into a farm vehicle in 2017.
Rachel Joris, 26, was pregnant with her first child when the collision happened on July 27, 2017. Joris was driving on Glendon Road near Troops Road when the tractor, which was hauling a 53' flatbed trailer that was loaded with water tanks, was turning left onto Glendon Road from an access road. Joris' car had just come over the train overpass when it hit the trailer.
According to lawyer Phil Millar, who is representing the family, the tractor was being driven by an unlicensed 15-year-old.
“The size of farm vehicles has dramatically increased over the years and the rules governing their use on highways have not changed to reflect the increased danger to drivers. Combine this with the huge increase in traffic flow on Glendon Road and it is a recipe for disaster,” Millar said in a statement released Thursday. “We are asking the County of Middlesex and the Ministry of Transportation to take a look at the intersection. You cannot turn left onto Troops Road from Glendon Drive, it would seem logical that you should not be able to turn left off of Troops Road onto Glendon Drive as well."
Joris' parents will join Millar at a news conference on Friday to provide more details about the lawsuit. They are also calling for changes to provincial rules regarding the use of farm vehicles on roads.
“We are demanding an inquiry into the rules governing farm equipment used on our highways," said Sheila Joris, Rachel's mother. "Why does a trailer hauling a construction vehicle has to have a wide load sign, an escort vehicle and a route plan, but a giant Combine part of a mega farm can drive down the road unescorted without similar safety precautions?”
