Family of Queen of the North victim settles lawsuit with BC Ferries

The family of one of two people who died when the Queen of the North ferry sank in March 2006 has settled its legal action against BC Ferries.

The lawyer for the family of Shirley Rosette said her two children are relieved to have a settlement and hope it provides a sense of closure.

Joe Battista said the settlement does involve a cash payment, however he wouldn't disclose the amount.

Rosette and Gerald Foisy died when the ferry sank after it hit Gil Island at full speed as it made its scheduled run from Prince Rupert to Port Hardy, B.C.

The vessel sank in less than two hours and although 99 people aboard escaped, Rosette and Foisy were never found.

A Transportation Safety Board report found crew members Karl Lilgert and Karen Bricker, who had recently ended a romantic relationship, were engaged in a conversation before the ship slammed into the island.

The B.C. Supreme Court upheld in November the suspensions of Lilgert and Kevin Hilton, who were on the bridge of the Queen of the North before the ferry sank.

BC Ferries suspended the pair when they refused to give crucial details of what happened before the incident.