Charges laid after deadly hit-and-run in Squamish

A man is facing several charges of dangerous driving in connection with a hit-and-run crash that killed a woman and left another woman with life-altering injuries last year in Squamish, B.C.

John Cernos was arrested on Nov. 16, more than 14 months after the deadly crash at a downtown bus stop.

He is charged with impaired driving causing death, failure to remain at an accident causing death, dangerous driving causing death, impaired driving causing bodily harm, dangerous driving causing bodily harm and failure to remain at an accident causing bodily harm.

Gurpreet Sangha and another woman were waiting at the bus stop at 11:25 p.m. on Sept. 2, 2022, when a white pickup truck lost control and flipped over onto the women near the corner of Pemberton and Cleveland avenues.

Both women were pinned under the overturned truck. Bystanders rushed to lift the vehicle off the women and to help the driver from the truck. Mounties say that while the bystanders were tending to the injured women, the driver ran from the scene.

Sangha died in hospital on Sept. 16, while the second woman, who was not identified, was released from hospital with what police described as life-altering injuries.

Sea to Sky RCMP Insp. Robert Dykstra said in a statement announcing the arrest Tuesday that he is grateful for the support of the victims' families throughout the lengthy investigation.

"Their commitment over the past 14 months is why several charges have now been laid related to this tragic incident and we can only hope that this will bring some much-needed closure to the families and the community," he said.

A representative of the victims' families was quoted in the RCMP thanking the Sea to Sky detachment. "We hope this does not happen to anyone else in the community and that no one has to suffer like we did," the statement said.