Vehicle owner denies liability in B.C. crash that killed two cyclists, passenger

PEMBERTON, B.C. – The owner of a vehicle that allegedly struck and killed two cyclists out for a weekend ride north of Whistler, B.C., denies having given the driver permission to use her car.

Carmen Ned has filed a response to a civil suit in B.C. Supreme Court saying she gave neither express nor implied consent for Samuel Alec to take her vehicle on May 31, 2015.

Alec is accused of fatally hitting cyclists Ross Chafe and Kelly Blunden on Highway 99 in a collision that also killed the vehicle’s sole passenger, Paul Pierre Jr.

Chafe’s wife, Lizanne Bussieres, alleges Alec was impaired at the time of the crash, and is seeking damages from him, Ned and the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia.

In his response filed in court last year, Alec blames the incident on Chafe’s negligence, though none of the allegations have been proven in court.

In August, RCMP charged Alec with impaired driving causing death, criminal negligence causing death and failure to remain at the scene of an accident.