Family members of a Hamilton man killed in a mid-January two-vehicle collision on the Red Hill Valley Parkway (RHVP) say they’re looking for “accountability’ for their father’s death.
The son of the late Hussein Hassoun is making a plea for witnesses to come forward saying his dad was struck by a snowplow on the roadway amid the Jan. 17 storm that dropped close to 50 cm of snow in the city.
“My family and I need your help to make sure that someone is held accountable for my father’s death,” Mohamad Hassoun told 900 CHML.
“We want to know the truth and we want justice for our dad.”
The Hamilton Police Service (HPS) initially revealed the January incident more than three weeks after it happened. In the statement, they did not identify the vehicles involved or the name of the deceased.
Global News was able to confirm the snowplows involvement after family members of the late Hassoun posted their plea on Facebook.
“Hamilton Police say that charges may not be brought forth,” Mohamad said in his post.
“They need more evidence to prove that the driver was negligent beyond a reasonable doubt.”
In an email, a Hamilton police spokesperson confirmed to Global News that a plow was involved but shared no further details.
“Hamilton Police are still investigating the incident and what we can state at this time is that a snowplow was involved,” Cst. Indy Bharaj wrote.
Police initially stated in the February release that a driver was hit on the RHVP near the Queenston Road Bridge.
A spokesperson said it was the result of the driver getting out of his vehicle after it got stuck during the Jan. 17 storm.
“The man exited his vehicle and while checking for damage, both he and his vehicle were struck by another motor vehicle,” Cst. Krista-Lee Ernst said in the post.
“The secondary vehicle continued northbound on the Red Hill Valley Parkway and did not stop at the time.”
Mohamad said he was in New York when he got the call from his mom and sister alerting him that his father had been involved in an accident.
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In recalling events, his sister Nour told him their father was in an ambulance when she called to check up on him after reaching out to CAA.
“His words were, ‘I got hit by a city snowplow. I’m in a lot of pain right now,’ and then he wasn’t able to speak much more than that,” Mohamad said.
Hussein was transported to Hamilton General in serious condition just before 7 a.m. after he was discovered by a passerby.
“The situation evolved pretty rapidly in the hospital, so I believe one or two p.m. they were telling us that they had to rush him into surgery,” said Mohamad.
Upon catching a flight back to Hamilton, he said he wasn’t able to see Hussein who was already in his first of three surgeries.
“We weren’t able to see him before that surgery and he was in an induced coma,” according to Mohamad.
His father died 12 days later. The death is the city’s second motor vehicle fatality of the year.
Family members say Hamilton police revealed in a pair of communiques their father and his van were hit by “a city snowplow.”
In a statement to Global News, the city of Hamilton would not confirm if a plow was involved or whether a contracted or city-owned vehicle was involved in the incident.
“We understand that the Hamilton Police Service is investigating this incident and the city is prepared to participate in any and all ways required of us to ensure the exact cause of the incident is known and the vehicle responsible identified,” a spokesperson said in an email.
Mohamad says his dad brought the family from Lebanon to live the “Canadian Dream.”
“He wasn’t able to pursue his career in engineering. He came here with a master’s in engineering,” Mohamad said.
“But regardless, he dropped all of that … and worked at a corner store for years until he got enough money to buy his own business and became self-employed.”
The family says dialogue with police revealed GPS information from the plow put the vehicle at the collision site around the estimated time of the encounter.
However, no charges have been laid due to the driver’s denial of the incident, according to Mohamad.
“They’re saying the driver is denying it, therefore, they need more evidence to show that this person was negligent beyond a reasonable doubt,’ said Mohamad.
“That’s what we’re trying to find out right now, police say that they need more evidence and that’s what we are asking for.”
Hamilton police have put out the call for witnesses who have not yet spoken to investigators. They can be reached at 905-546-4753 or 905-546-4755.
Anonymous tips can be left with Hamilton Crime Stoppers.
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