Quebec reaches deal to compensate motorists trapped on highway

2017 SNOWSTORM

MONTREAL • People who were trapped for hours on a Montreal highway following a massive 2017 snowstorm will each receive up to $1,375 from the province, lawyers for the stranded motorists announced Thursday.

The payments result from a partial settlement of a class-action lawsuit against the Quebec government and the city of Montreal. The lawsuit had been authorized by the Quebec Superior Court and will continue against the city, which so far has refused to negotiate, according to the motorists’ lawyers.

A storm that began on the evening of March 14, 2017, dropped more than 35 centimetres of snow on the city overnight, stranding hundreds of motorists on Highway 13, some of whom had to stay in their cars until the morning. The government later acknowledged that emergency services were badly managed that night.

Marc-antoine Cloutier, the lead lawyer representing plaintiffs, said his clients were traumatized.

“People cry when they talk about their night,” he told reporters. “Many people spoke about a significant trauma.”

Cloutier said the agreement recognizes that prov- incial authorities have since fixed their emergency services operations.

Under the terms of the agreement, people who were trapped in their cars for four hours or less will receive $350 from the provincial government. The payments increase according to the amount of time people were stuck, rising to $1,100 for drivers and passengers who spent 10 hours or more in their vehicles. Children aged under 12, seniors over 75, pregnant women and people with medical conditions will receive bonuses worth 25 per cent of the payment, for a maximum of $1,375 per plaintiff.

Cloutier said plaintiffs could be in line for more money depending on the outcome of the suit against the city.