Corrections officer awarded $130,000 after crash with Abbotsford Surrey Six gangster
Dennis Richard Karbovanec, a close associate of the Bacon Brothers is serving a life sentence in relation to the murder of six people in a Surrey Apartment. Just prior to his sentencing he rear-ended a car driven by Janice Zawislak, a corrections officer, who has won a $130,000 settlement for injuries suffered.
Photograph by: File photo , Abbotsford Times
A corrections officer whose car was rear-ended by Abbotsford gangster Dennis Karbovanec has been awarded more than $130,000 in damages.
Janice Zawislak was injured when Karbovanec's leased Chevrolet Tahoe collided with her Oldsmobile Alero at Lougheed and Coast Meridian in Coquitlam, on Jan. 14, 2009.
Less than three months later, Karbovanec pleaded guilty in connection with the Surrey Six murders and was sentenced to life in prison with no parole eligibility for 15 years.
A B.C. Supreme Court ruling on the motor vehicle accident makes no mention of Karbovanec's criminal past.
It notes that liability was not an issue, as ICBC had conceded that the collision occurred as a result of the negligence of the defendants.
At trial ICBC alleged that Zawislak had exaggerated the nature, extent and duration of the injuries she suffered.
Zawislak was stopped in traffic when Karbovanec's SUV hit her. Her car moved forward, striking the vehicle in front of her.
At the time, she was working part-time as a corrections officer at North Fraser Pre-trial Centre and part-time as a mental health worker.
B.C. Supreme Court Madam Justice Laura Gerow concluded that Zawislak was a credible witness and said there was a connection between the accident and her ongoing symptoms of neck pain, upper back pain and shoulder pain, as well as her headaches.
She awarded the plaintiff $130,000 in damages, including $60,000 for pain and suffering, $55,000 for past and future loss of earning capacity and $10,000 in future cost of care.
The judge also awarded costs in the amount of $17,000 due to the fact that there was a settlement offer by the plaintiff, which the damages award exceeded. Her ruling was given orally in January and posted online last week.
Also named as a defendant in the case was the leasing company, Four Star Auto Lease Ltd.
In June 2010, Four Star filed suit against a number of gangsters including Karbovanec, alleging they had committed fraud or misrepresented themselves in order to lease vehicles.
On April 9, 2009, Karbovanec, a member of the Red Scorpions gang, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the October 2007 slayings of Christopher Mohan, Michael Lal and Ryan Bartolomeo.
He pleaded guilty to conspiring with Jamie Bacon, Matthew Johnston, Cody Haevischer and someone only referred to as "Person X" to commit the murder of Corey Lal.
Karbovanec's co-accused are still awaiting trial in the Surrey Six case.
