A recent case issued
by the British Columbia Court of Appeal provides guidance regarding
the duty of care owed by business owners and confirmed the
principles with respect to the determination of a novel duty of
care.
A GM Sierra pickup truck was stolen from the premises owned and
operated by Dueck Downtown Chevrolet Buick GMC Limited
("Dueck"). Prior to the theft, the truck was left
unattended by an employee of Dueck, Kyle Katerenchuk, with the
motor running and the keys in the ignition. The truck was then
stolen by the respondent David Bolton.
After activating the OnStar online navigation system in the
truck the police were able to locate the vehicle and attempted to
arrest Mr. Bolton. Mr. Bolton evaded arrest and, over an hour after
the theft of the vehicle, was involved in three motor vehicle
collisions, which resulted in serious personal injury to two other
motorists: Constable Quinn Provost and Brandy Brundige.