Ben Bellows, advocate for moose-vehicle crash victims, passes away at 60

A western Newfoundland man who spent the latter years of his life fighting for people hurt in moose-vehicle accidents has died.

Ben Bellows of Mount Moriah passed away at the age of 60 on Tuesday, after a 13-year battle with quadriplegia as well as a bout with leukemia in recent years.

Bellows was paralyzed when the vehicle he was driving hit a moose in 2003. Since then he has been an outspoken advocate for better protection of those injured in collisions with moose, and was heavily involved in a failed class-action suit against the provincial government regarding such accidents.

According to his brother Harley, Bellows spent the last 13 years determined to prevent others from suffering the same fate he did

"It was such a drastic change in his life, and he didn't want to see anyone else go through that," he told the Corner Brook Morning Show on Thursday.

"He spoke his mind and I think people really appreciated that. He always wanted to be on the go, he was a very active person."

Tireless advocate

Drawing from his own experience as a quadriplegic, Bellows long argued that greater protection was needed when it comes to keeping moose off the province's roads. 

While Bellows agreed with the cutting of brush along parts of the TCH, he insisted more fencing was needed throughout the province to ensure others did not suffer the same trauma he and his own family had to go through.

The funeral for Bellows will take place on Saturday Oct. 8 at St. Mary's Anglican Church in the Curling area of Corner Brook.