STU community mourns loss of prof who died after moose collision

A highly regarded and popular St. Thomas University professor died Tuesday morning from injuries he suffered in a highway collision with a moose over the weekend.

Brian Carty,54, was heading west on Highway 2 on Saturday night just before 9 p.m., when his car collided with amoose near Memramcook, RCMP said.

Carty's partner was apassenger inside the vehicle. The woman's injuries were not life-threatening, police said.

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Carty, who taught social work at the Fredericton campus,was highly regarded by students and colleagues, STU president Dawn Russell said in statement to the university community announcing his death.

"He was a friendly and uplifting presence on our campus whether you worked with him closely or only occasionally," she said.

Losing one of their own

John Coates, a former social work professor at the university, taught with Carty for several years at St. Thomas and was deeply saddened when he learned of his death.

He was fun to have around because he was such a positive presence and had an uplifting spirit that was justcontagious.-JohnCoates

"The sudden and unexpected loss of a faculty member and one of your teachers, it's very difficult," Coates said.

Carty started out as a student at St. Thomas University, and many years later he returned to campus to teach.

"He became an effective and well-liked professor," Coatessaid. "He was always upbeat and positive ... he had very high student evaluations each year."

Coates described Cartyas a " warm and friendly man," who was good to work with and who participated in many faculty decisions.

"He was fun to have around because he was such a positive presence and had an uplifting spirit that was justcontagious," he said.

"I will miss him as many people will being around him made you feel good."

A STU alumnus and longtime counsellor before joining the faculty, Carty did crisis counselling and cross-cultural work, and his research included studying the media's influence on social policy, the university website says.

RCMP in Sackville are still investigating but said they have ruled out speed and alcohol as factors in the crash.