Family of teen killed at 2013 Caribbean Carnival to hold fundraiser
Posted August 2, 2014 6:36 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
What’s supposed to be a festive Caribbean Carnival is now a painful memory for one Mississauga family.
On Aug. 3, 2013 Rueshad Grant, 18, was standing next to a parade float when he was drawn under the trailer and pinned under the vehicle.
Grant suffered life-threatening injuries and was rushed to hospital, where he later died.
“He was the kind of person that always knew how to make you laugh smile even when you’re upset very upset,” Grant’s sister Rachelle Allison told CityNews.
Since Grant’s death, event spokesperson Stephen Weir said safety precautions have been improved.
“People who come down here will see we’ve really solidified the fencing,” Weir explained. “People won’t be able to get on the parade route so easily. Trucks now have guards on them ”
But for Grant’s family, it was too little too late.
The family is now suing the parade organizers for negligence.
Rishi Singh, the lawyer for the family, says a wrongful death claim is being pursued against the carnival organizers as well as the driver of the float.
Singh adds that the settlement could take another year or two.
The family says they urgently need funds to cover the funeral and headstone because they are being sued by the funeral home for outstanding costs. They are throwing a fundraiser on Sunday in the hopes of raising $35,000.
A candlelight vigil will also take place Sunday at Lakeshore Road and Downling Avenue at 8 p.m.
For more information on the fundraiser click here.
