BEAVERTON, ONT. – – Truck driver Devin Hayes, 39, had just started his new oil-patch job in Bonnyville, Ab., with hazmat experts Clean Harbors when he received a telephone call that delivered the worst news a person can hear.

Back home in Beaverton, his wife and three daughters had been in an auto accident.

The four were headed home from a baby shower in nearby Peterborough when their car collided with a pick-up truck.
Hayes’ wife, Kari, and 17-year-old Cassandra were airlifted to Toronto’s Sunnybrook hospital, but 11-year-old Alexandria and Mikaela, 10, had been killed.

The driver of the pick-up was also sent to hospital, where he was listed in critical but stable condition.

The accident took place Aug. 28.

Cassandra has since been released from hospital but Hayes says Kari might be in for a few more months.

Now, he says, it’s time to think about rebuilding.

His superiors at Clean Harbors gave him the support he needed at the time of the accident. “They’ve been very good,” he says.
He says that even though he was new on the job, his supervisor told him to take as much time as he needed; that they would fast-track his benefits and hold his job for him.

“It’s really weird,” he says, “because the only reason I took that job out there was to support my family back home.”

Beaverton residents showed their support not only by turning out in droves for the girls’ double funeral, they established a bereavement fund.

If you’re interested, you can make a donation through the TD Bank by citing Branch 2084; Account 6285748.
Another friend set up another website where you can find out more about the girls.

Finally, Hayes says he and Kari and Cassandra are interested in trying to figure out how to extract something positive out of the tragedy.

“We do believe the girls are in a better place now. We’ve got to believe that.”

“So now what I’m thinking is that we want to prevent this kind of thing from happening to anyone ever again; so we want to start a foundation to raise awareness about driving habits. We’re not exactly sure which way we’re going with this but we want to bring something good out of it.”

For 11 years before joining Clean Harbors, Hayes drove and then was a driver/manager with Canada Cartage.