Family of woman who drowned after car crashed into Surrey ditch awarded $2.5 million

The husband and two children of a Bellingham woman who died after the family crashed upside down into a slush-filled ditch in Surrey has been awarded $2.5 million.

According to court records, on Oct. 1, 2017, Mariam Ghaly was driving a Honda CRV with her husband Wagih in the passenger seat and their children Marina and Kyrollos in the back.

The family was travelling from St. George Orthodox Church in Surrey to Bellingham, Wash., along King George Boulevard when a motorcyclist weaving in traffic forced the car off the road.

“The Ghaly’s vehicle left the road after a series of events created by the defendant Paul Mand, who was riding a Honda motorcycle and weaving through traffic on King George Boulevard at or near 48th Avenue. Mr. Mand attempted to pass on the right side of the vehicle, causing it to leave the road and go tumbling down an embankment,” wrote Supreme Court of B.C. Justice Emily Burke in her awards judgment.