OBITUARY - Chris Perkins

PERKINS: Suddenly, on Sunday, April 8th 2004, Christopher John Perkins of Vancouver, B.C. was killed in a car accident on the Lion's Gate Bridge at the age of 30 years old. He will be lovingly remembered by his mother, Sandie Perkins, his sister, Allie (Duncan) Wojtaszek, his niece and nephew Raven and Wesley, and his best friend Geoff Reimer. Chris was recently predeceased by his father, Reg Perkins, who died in May. Friends and family will be received at a Memorial Service to be held on August 27th 2004 in Aldergrove, British Columbia at 11:00 a.m. Personal Alternative Funeral Home Chapel, 3070 - 275A Street, Aldergrove, British Columbia, V4W 3L4. In lieu of flowers, please consider contributions in Chris's memory to Scouts Canada, 1345 Baseline Road, Ottawa, Ontario, K2C 0A7 or online at Scouts.ca.

Letter to the Editor

Brother's traffic death illustrates need to focus on safety

World Health Organisation designates road safety as a global public health issue

Published in: The Edmonton Journal, Vancouver Sun, The Province

My brother, Chris Perkins, was killed on the Lion's Gate Bridge in Vancouver on Aug. 8.

He was trying to direct cars around a stalled vehicle that was blocking traffic over the bridge. He was hit by a vehicle from behind, thrown more than three metres, and killed instantly. He had just turned 30 years old.

This year the World Health Organization designated road safety as a global public health issue, stating that road traffic deaths ranked second only to HIV/AIDS in leading causes of death for people aged one to 44. Each year, many more than a million people are killed on roads, and 50 million more are injured in some way.

It does seem to be an unavoidable fact that accidents happen, but by their very nature they are almost always preventable. Admittedly, few drivers set out to kill anyone, but this detail rarely eases the pain of the road bereaved.

The reality is that road safety is not an accident. It is up to each one of us to take the actions necessary to limit traffic-related injuries and fatalities, regardless of how we are using the roadway.

Slow down. Speed is a factor in many road accidents, and it can turn any situation into a fatal one in just a few seconds.

Look where you're going. When driving, maintain an accurate perception of what is going on around you so you always have time to react appropriately.

Be considerate of other road users, and try to keep a safe zone in mind when passing an emergency situation on the road. You never know when someone is going to be suddenly in front of you.

And for pedestrians; remember, the only thing that can stop a car is the driver. Be careful of how much trust with which you step out onto a road. You never know when or how that driver might be distracted. Some mistakes can't be fixed.

My brother was somebody important and, like everyone else, he had dreams and a life to live, a life that ended much too soon. I only had one brother. Please slow down.

Allie Wojtaszek, Edmonton

How is it that a life can be reduced to this?

Passenger of broken-down van struck 

and killed while directing traffic

(link broken/archived)

It's weird when you spend your time reading about other people's misfortunes in the news to suddenly be faced with seeing your own with such candidacy. For everyone looking at this story, that's just a body of someone they didn't know, someone who tried to help, who tried to do what was right as they saw fit, someone they are easily distanced from, or worse yet, just another headline. It's odd to try to see this from that point of view.

For me, that's my baby brother under that blanket. His name is Chris Perkins and he turned 30 in July. That's the last image I will ever see of him. Sometimes life really bites you in the ass. This has been a really bad year for that.

Cross-posted on Summer's Daydreams