The North Vancouver motorcyclist critically injured in a crash on the Upper Levels Highway in August has died.
John Quesenberry, 61, was riding west near the Lonsdale Avenue exit on Aug. 14 when he became the victim in a chain reaction accident.
The driver of a pickup truck lost an unsecured ladder onto the road. When the driver went to fetch it, other vehicles slammed on their brakes and dodged out of his way, causing Quesenberry to lose control of his motorbike and hit the concrete median, sending him over the motorcycle's handlebars.
After Quesenberry spent several weeks in a coma and suffered severe brain damage, friends made the decision to take him off life support last week and he died on Nov. 8, according to friend Linda Winterton who visited every day for 11 weeks.
The identity of the driver who triggered the crash is still a mystery since he drove off before anyone else caught in the accident could get his licence plate number, according to the RC MP's Port Mann Highway Patrol. "We have had no information as to who the driver was that lost the ladder and right now we have no other leads," said Cpl. Garth Domm, RC MP spokesman. "The file is concluded, unfortunately."
Should someone step forward or a witness offer information leading to a positive identification, police could lay a charge of failing to properly secure a load, Domm said. "From a legal standpoint, that's the only offence that the person would have committed," he said.
Still, grieving friends would like to see someone step forward. "What was your big hurry, to toss a ladder onto your truck and not tie it down?" asked Clarke Hase, a friend of Quesenberry since his teen years. "You had to have seen John swerving to avoid the mayhem you caused and crashing into the centre median. Well, now your hurry and inconsiderate actions has had the ultimate consequence. You've killed a friend, uncle, brother, and all-around good guy. I truly hope you recognize yourself in these words and come forward."
Winterton rejects the notion the driver of the pickup truck doesn't know what he caused. "I highly doubt that. I got the accident report. The cars were screeching all over the road so for sure he knows he did something. He maybe doesn't know he's killed (Quesenberry) but he definitely knows that running onto the highway created the accident."
