Family to sue N.S. government alleging negligence in engineer's drowning
CBC
Nicole Gnazdowsky spent the days leading up to the anniversary of her younger brother's death poring over legal paperwork.
Andrew Gnazdowsky drowned on Oct. 16, 2020, while trying to retrieve a piece of floating surveying equipment that had malfunctioned in a reservoir at Nova Scotia Power's hydroelectric system in Sheet Harbour.
On Friday, nearly a year to that day, Nicole Gnazdowsky served notice of a civil claim on behalf of her parents alleging negligence in relation to the 26-year-old man's death.
"This is the only option we have at this point in time to ensure, or try to ensure, some accountability here and some change in the future," Gnazdowsky told CBC News.
The notice is a precursor to a lawsuit and names Nova Scotia's attorney general, as well as the provincial departments of labour and justice as defendants.
It states the defendants "failed to properly investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident and the events that led to the incident and the death of Andrew Gnazdowsky."
It goes on to allege that his autopsy was performed in a negligent manner, and that the province "chose not to follow the established procedures and policies in place to ensure compliance with dam safety protocols and standards."
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