After an extensive investigation lasting about nine months, criminal charges will not be recommended in relation to the traffic-related death of a 23-year-old woman.
Shortly before 9:30 on the evening of January 9th, a party bus was travelling along West Hastings Street with the victim and 27 other passengers on board. When the driver made a left turn to go south on Burrard Street, the young woman lost her balance and stumbled into the stairwell against the pneumatic passenger door. The door opened and the woman fell out of the bus. She was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The investigation was taken over by officers with the VPD Collision Investigation Unit and VPD Commercial Vehicle Unit. Along with the typical investigative steps taken to determine the cause of this woman’s death, additional commercial vehicle experts, as well as engineers, were brought in to assist with full and comprehensive mechanical inspections of the bus.
It was determined that a mechanical malfunction and low operating pressure with the pneumatic door were the main contributing factors in the fatality.
Upon completion of the investigation, and in consultation with Crown Counsel and other legal experts, the VPD will not be forwarding a recommendation of criminal charges. The owner and the driver of the vehicle have been fined under the Motor Vehicle Act and are still subject to potential civil action.
