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'Beyond outraged': daughter pushes for appeal of speeder's acquittal in fatal crash
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'Beyond outraged': daughter pushes for appeal of speeder's acquittal in fatal crash
Dr. Alphonsus Hui died when his vehicle was struck by Ken Chung's Audi in 2015
Bethany Lindsay · CBC News · Posted: Jun 11, 2018 5:40 PM PT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago
Dr. Alphonsus Hui, far right, poses for a family photo with daughter Monique, far left, wife Josephine and son Creighton. (Supplied by Monique Hui)
When Monique Hui learned the driver responsible for the crash that killed her father had been acquitted of criminal charges, she says she nearly drove her car off the road.
Last month, Ken Chung was found not guilty of dangerous driving causing death in the collision that ended the life of Dr. Alphonsus Hui.
"I can say that we are beyond outraged," Monique Hui said of the decision from Judge Gregory Rideout.
"There is a severe lack of fairness going on right now, and we are reliving my father's death all over again, but it's worse this time."
And so, on Sunday morning, she posted a petition online, calling for the Crown to appeal Rideout's decision and for the B.C. government to introduce stricter legislation to deter dangerous drivers.
The petition was the brainchild of affordable housing activist Justin Fung, whose father had been the best man at the wedding of Hui's parents. Hui had hoped to get at least 500 signatures, but by late Monday afternoon, there were already more than 19,000.
"The ticker just keeps going up and up and up. We are overwhelmed with the public support. It's been really the only light in this whole ordeal of our family's," Hui said.
'The best human being'
She remembers her father as a beloved family doctor with more than 1,000 patients, and an active member of the Chinese community who dedicated much of his time to non-profit organizations.
"I say this in the most unbiased way possible: He actually was the best human being that I have ever known," Hui said.
The family was devastated by his death. It meant he missed his son's wedding and the births of his first three grandchildren.
Dr. Alphonsus Hui was killed in a car crash in Vancouver on Nov. 14, 2015, when he was hit by a speeding vehicle driven by Ken Chung. (Supplied by Monique Hui)
The physician was killed on Nov. 14, 2015, when Chung's silver Audi slammed into his red Suzuki, sending the doctor's vehicle airborne at the intersection of Oak Street and West 41st Avenue.
Chung's trial heard how the Audi had accelerated to 139 km/h in the block before the crash. He was travelling at 119 km/h in a 50 km/h zone at the moment of impact.
But the judge ruled there was reasonable doubt that Chung's conduct "amounted to a marked departure from the standard of a reasonably prudent driver."
Hui was particularly unhappy with that quote from Rideout's decision.
"If that is not a marked departure from what a reasonably prudent driver would do, then I don't know what is," she said.
She added that she'd like to see a change in the legal standard required to convict someone of dangerous driving causing death.
Last week, prosecutors said they were consulting with the family about whether to appeal. Hui said she spoke with a Crown representative Monday afternoon, and was assured there will be a thorough review of the case.
Hui plans to present her petition to provincial government representatives on Friday.
Chung was found guilty last month on an unrelated 2017 charge of excessive speeding.
ews Dr. Alphonsus Hui, far right, poses for a family photo with daughter Monique, far left, wife Josephine and son Creighton. (Supplied by Monique Hui)
When Monique Hui learned the driver responsible for the crash that killed her father had been acquitted of criminal charges, she says she nearly drove her car off the road.
Last month, Ken Chung was found not guilty of dangerous driving causing death in the collision that ended the life of Dr. Alphonsus Hui.
"I can say that we are beyond outraged," Monique Hui said of the decision from Judge Gregory Rideout.
"There is a severe lack of fairness going on right now, and we are reliving my father's death all over again, but it's worse this time."
And so, on Sunday morning, she posted a petition online, calling for the Crown to appeal Rideout's decision and for the B.C. government to introduce stricter legislation to deter dangerous drivers.
The petition was the brainchild of affordable housing activist Justin Fung, whose father had been the best man at the wedding of Hui's parents. Hui had hoped to get at least 500 signatures, but by late Monday afternoon, there were already more than 19,000.
"The ticker just keeps going up and up and up. We are overwhelmed with the public support. It's been really the only light in this whole ordeal of our family's," Hui said.
'The best human being'
She remembers her father as a beloved family doctor with more than 1,000 patients, and an active member of the Chinese community who dedicated much of his time to non-profit organizations.
"I say this in the most unbiased way possible: He actually was the best human being that I have ever known," Hui said.
The family was devastated by his death. It meant he missed his son's wedding and the births of his first three grandchildren.
Dr. Alphonsus Hui was killed in a car crash in Vancouver on Nov. 14, 2015, when he was hit by a speeding vehicle driven by Ken Chung. (Supplied by Monique Hui)
The physician was killed on Nov. 14, 2015, when Chung's silver Audi slammed into his red Suzuki, sending the doctor's vehicle airborne at the intersection of Oak Street and West 41st Avenue.
Chung's trial heard how the Audi had accelerated to 139 km/h in the block before the crash. He was travelling at 119 km/h in a 50 km/h zone at the moment of impact.
But the judge ruled there was reasonable doubt that Chung's conduct "amounted to a marked departure from the standard of a reasonably prudent driver."
Hui was particularly unhappy with that quote from Rideout's decision.
"If that is not a marked departure from what a reasonably prudent driver would do, then I don't know what is," she said.
She added that she'd like to see a change in the legal standard required to convict someone of dangerous driving causing death.
Last week, prosecutors said they were consulting with the family about whether to appeal. Hui said she spoke with a Crown representative Monday afternoon, and was assured there will be a thorough review of the case.
Hui plans to present her petition to provincial government representatives on Friday.
Chung was found guilty last month on an unrelated 2017 charge of excessive speeding.
Dr. Alphonsus Hui was killed in a car crash in Vancouver on Nov. 14, 2015, when he was hit by a speeding vehicle driven by Ken Chung. (Supplied by Monique Hui)
