A fatal motor vehicle accident, if it claims even just one life, is a catastrophe. When there are multiple deaths, the horror is magnified. But even with all that, there are aspects of such horrible incidents that can easily be overlooked by the average person in California; that is the residual impact of the losses wrought by the wrongful death situations on the loved ones left behind.

One recent accident particularly highlights this point. Eleven people, 10 of them migrant workers, were killed when the van they were being hauled in collided with a flatbed truck. It didn't happen in California, but our state is no stranger to such things. In fact, a crash similar to it more than 10 years ago in California sparked changes in the standards for how migrant workers are carried from place to place.

The crash in Ontario is now listed as one of that Canadian province's worst ever. As a result of it, there are families in other countries that have now lost their major source income. Let's remember, too, that the amount of money these individuals made for the many hours of hard labor they put in, while not significant, was essential for survival.

The accident occurred around dusk on Feb. 6. According to authorities, the van carrying a total of 13 workers had just begun to proceed through a controlled intersection when it was hit broadside by truck. The truck pushed the van through a field and sandwiched it into the side of a building. The driver of the flatbed was among the 11 killed. The three in the van who survived were critically injured.

The particulars of exactly what happened are reportedly still being investigated.

Officials say they don't know who the van victims are or where they were from. They say they only know the survivors speak Spanish. A local TV station reported that they had been working at a chicken farm that day, but no one at the site was willing to take a reporter's questions.

One farm worker advocate with the Agriculture Workers' Alliance says he expects that the accident will lead to further examination about how these workers are treated. The suggestion in his comment is that it unfortunately takes such massive loss of life to trigger that kind of action.

Source: Toronto Globe and Mail, "Eleven dead in horrific crash in southwestern Ontario, near Stratford," Adrian Morrow, Anna Mehler Paperny, Feb. 7, 2012