Christine Potes was out running errands for her nephew’s 10th birthday party on Aug. 10 around noon when she was killed in a horrific chain-reaction crash in Oshawa, Ont.
“The last communication I have in my phone with her was like, ‘Is this fruit tray OK?’ She was picking things up for the party,” recalled her younger sister Katrina Potes.
“I just remember shortly after texting her, getting a call from Matty, a missed call from him, and I gave him a call back, and I just could hear that something was so wrong,” she said.
Potes’ longtime partner Matty Biljentina was asleep when police came knocking on the door of the couple’s Oshawa home.
“They told me what happened and I just kind of lost it … I said, what hospital? And they said, she’s not at the hospital. She died on impact,” he said.
According to Durham Regional Police, reports indicated a black Mercedes sedan was travelling southbound on Ritson Road South “at a high rate of speed.”
As the Mercedes entered the curb lane it struck a white Nissan being operated by Potes.
“The force of the initial impact caused the driver of the Nissan to lose control, striking a Chevy Orlando, which then caught on fire. The white Nissan then struck a Honda and Dodge Caravan, which also caught fire.”
A news release by police added, “The Mercedes continued southbound after the initial collision, crossing the northbound lanes and careening onto the property on the northeast corner. As it crossed the property it struck the rear corner of a chip-truck causing the awning to collapse on a male party that was awaiting food. The Mercedes then crashed into a light pole.”
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Potes was pronounced dead at the scene and several others were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
“She was kind of corralled. She was at a red light. There were cars all around her. She was literally defenceless. Had nowhere to go,” said Biljentina.
He broke the news to Potes’ two sisters.
“It’s such a horror just hearing what happened and just the devastating carnage of the entire accident. Just the news just kept getting worse. She died. Nine cars were involved. You wonder what must have happened. Just so many questions and, you know, things like, ‘Where do we go? What hospital do we go to?’ We don’t. Straight to the morgue. She had no chance,” said Potes’ older sister, Samantha Paul.
“It was the force, the speed that he was going at. There was no way she would have survived that. And to know that she died so violently and that we couldn’t see her after, we couldn’t see her,” said Katrina Potes.
On Monday, nearly a full month since the crash, the driver of the Mercedes, Lorne Michael Fade Nicholson, 40, of Toronto, was charged with dangerous operation of a conveyance causing death, four counts of dangerous operation of a conveyance causing bodily harm and leaving the scene of an accident while failing to give a name or offer assistance.
The family is now planning to sue the driver.
“The family’s given notice of their intention to bring a lawsuit. And, of course, the purpose of the lawsuit is to try and achieve some change and try and achieve some justice,” said lawyer Justin Linden.
“Based on the press reports, this was a horrific accident. Car unfortunately caught fire. Someone was actually trying to save her while she burned. It was just a horrific, horrific scene. Left behind two very close sisters. She left behind her life partner. So yes, we’re bringing a lawsuit. Yes, we intend to achieve some justice,” he added.
Through the heartbreak, Biljentina said he finds some comfort in the many memories he shared with Potes.
“We used to pick on each other a lot and it was always fun. It was just, you know, picking out each other’s quirks and just hearing her laugh, making her laugh was the best,” he said.
Potes’ two sisters said they lost their mother several months ago and now to lose Christine has been devastating.
They described their sister as an avid runner, travel enthusiast, and foodie who also loved music.
“She was an inspiration to me because she was always somebody who did what she wanted. You know, everything she was doing was because she wanted to do it and never because she was forced to do it,” said Katrina Potes, adding, “She just loved everything about life.“
On Tuesday, Sept. 10, family and friends are holding a candlelight vigil to honour Potes at Lakeview Park Beach at 8 p.m.
Her younger sister hopes the crash serves as a wake-up call to other drivers about the importance of road safety.
“We need to do better as drivers, as a society, we need to respect each other more and to know that, like we have power, we’re wielding power when we go behind the wheel, when we jump in the car, like you’re not only responsible for yourself, it’s other people too.”
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