A 2012 shooting at the University of Alberta that resulted in the death of two G4S workers has resulted in two lawsuits against the company and the man who was responsible. He shot his fellow guards as they were occupied with refilling two ATM machines on the campus. A fourth guard, 26, was critically wounded but survived, and a 26-year-old woman also lost her life. The shooter is currently serving a life sentence in prison after entering a guilty plea in September 2013 to various counts of attempted murder, second-degree murder and first-degree murder.
The families of the deceased workers have both filed civil litigation in separate actions. The family of the 39-year-old guard filed a lawsuit for more than $1.6 million while the family of the 35-year-old guard sued for about $578,000. They claim that G4S should have known about the convicted guard’s mental instability and that he was not qualified for work as an armed security guard. The further believe that the security company did not check his references, review his work history or conduct a proper background investigation.
The plaintiffs for the first guard include his wife, their two children and four of the man’s siblings. They are seeking compensation for grief, bereavement and loss of financial support, care, companionship, valuable services and guidance. The plaintiffs for the second guard include his parents and three brothers, and they have asked for compensation for loss of dependency, bereavement and out-of-pocket expenses.
When someone decides to file a wrongful death lawsuit, they might not know how much compensation to request since it often depends on the financial situation and number of dependants of the deceased. A personal injury lawyer could determine how much compensation to seek through appropriate calculations.
Source: St Albert Leader, “Families of murdered guards file lawsuits”, Catherine Griwkowsky, June 26, 2014
