The government of Quebec is suing Bombardier over a deadly crash on the Metropolitan three years ago.
The lawsuit points to a report by Quebec's workplace health and safety board that found a Bombardier fuel truck stopped abruptly on the highway because an emergency brake was triggered when a door on the truck was left open.
The mishap resulted in at least three other trucks slamming into each other causing a spectacular fire.
59-year-old Gilbert Prince was killed in the crash. He was pinned inside the cab of his 18-wheeler tanker truck after his rig slammed into the back of the other trailer, knocking the other three vehicles forward, crushing Prince's engine and spilling flammable liquid onto the ground at the same time as the cabin, starting the fire. Another driver tried to save him, but the situation became too dangerous.
The workplace safety report found Bombardier's failure to check on previous problems with that truck was one of the contributing factors in the accident, and the lawsuit claims the company knew the truck shouldn't have been in use.
After the crash, that refuelling truck was ordered off the road because there is no warning light or override switch to let the driver know the brakes were about to come on.
The workers' health and safety board, CNESST, said the truck in question had a recurring problem with its emergency brake.
The government is seeking $1 million in damages arguing that's what the ensuing cleanup cost the transport department. The fire was so intense it melted part of the roadway, and forced the highway's closure for over a day.
There are two other companies named as defendants, as the government claims their trucks didn't maintain a proper distance from the vehicles in front of them.
Both the Quebec government and Bombardier declined comment when contacted.
