Mother, daughter victims of fatal Highway 104 crash
BARNEY’S RIVER, N.S. — Eva Sampson couldn’t have been happier to be back in Nova Scotia with her family and closer to her mom, Helen.
Eva’s employer, Canada Post, recently approved her transfer to Dartmouth from Montreal. She was looking forward to her mom packing up her Antigonish trailer and moving in with her family, said family friend Sheila Walsh.
“They will be missed so deeply by all their friends and family,” Walsh said.
Eva and Helen Sampson were driving together along Highway 104 in Barney’s River on Saturday evening when a transport truck collided with their vehicle.
Friends and family are rocked by the tragedy. Eva had inherited her mother’s gift of generosity. They looked out for friends and family.
“I remember all the baking (Helen) would do, and she and Eva would land at my place with fresh cookies and a big smile,” said Walsh. “Eva was so witty and very sharp and funny with her responses in conversation. She was the most kind, lovable person you could know. She had such a big heart and would help anyone she could. Her mom was always so friendly and always inquired about how you were.”
Emergency crews were called to the scene of the crash at 7:35 p.m. The truck driver was taken to hospital with non-lifethreatening injuries, RCMP spokesman Cpl. Andrew Joyce said. A section of the highway between exits 27 and 29 remained closed to traffic Sunday afternoon while collision analysts worked to determine the cause of the crash.
Helen’s neighbour Joanne Wallace said she was devastated by the tragedy and the loss of “two loving, caring people.” Helen loved bingo and had a habit of saying God is good. Both mother and daughter were animal lovers and had two pet dogs, which they adored.
“My heart is so saddened about this,” said Wallace, whose sister was Helen’s bingo partner. “Helen was such a kind lady, and we had fun times in the trailer court. She will be deeply missed.
“Helen would do anything for anyone and give what she could. Eva was a terrific mom, and her daughter was her world. Everything revolved around her daughter.”
The stretch of highway between Sutherlands River and Antigonish has proven deadly over the years. In the past decade, there have been 447 crashes along the corridor and 21 people have died, according to Barney’s River Fire Department Chief Joe MacDonald.
The 38-kilometre stretch is scheduled to be twinned in the next five years. MacDonald has led the twinning campaign, having seen too many tragedies first-hand.
“That highway can’t be twinned fast enough,” said MacDonald. “When it is twinned there will still be accidents but not head-on collisions ... My heart goes out to the families.”