No evidence to support criminal charges in fatal New Westminster crash, police say

An officer with the New Westminster Police Department is pictured at the scene of a fatal pedestrian motor vehicle incident on Sunday, Feb. 19. (CTV)

Police in New Westminster say a truck driver who struck and killed a pedestrian last weekend won't be facing criminal charges.

On Sunday afternoon, officers were called to the scene of the fatal crash on the 100-block of East Columbia Street. In an update Thursday, a spokesperson for the New Westminster Police Department said information gathered through witness interviews and a review of dash-cam video led them to conclude that there is no evidence that a crime may have been committed.

"The work has now shifted from a criminal investigation to one where information is being gathered to provide to the City of New Westminster Engineering Services for consideration," a media release says.

In the wake of the crash, residents took to Twitter to raise safety concerns.

“The intersection is incredibly sketchy for pedestrians,” one person wrote on Twitter. “The traffic is so close to you when walking, it’s going fast and there is limited visibility.”

Another person called on the City of New Westminster to take action.

“What are you planning on doing to improve the safety of pedestrians in this area in light of this news?” Yogita Grover wrote. "Semis are too wide and too big to be racing through this area.”

According to public data from ICBC, there were at least 11 crashes involving pedestrians along the stretch of East Columbia between Alberta and Braid streets from 2016 to 2020.

New Westminster Mayor Patrick Johnstone responded to the issues raised in a tweet thread this week after extending his condolences to the pedestrian's family.

"The area of Sunday’s fatality was identified in the Sapperton Transportation Plan as an area needing improvements. Not the only one in the city. For a variety of technical reasons, there is no easy solution here. If there was, it would have been implemented already," he said.

"I've asked staff to accelerate this planning and provide interim measures until a longer-term solution is found. I'll be asking TransLink and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure to help in finding interim and long-term fixes here, as the public expects us to work together on solutions towards safety."

The NWPD says there is no longer a need to contact them with information or dash-cam video about the incident, but that witnesses can reach out to the Victim Assistance Unit for support if needed.

With files from CTV Vancouver's Becca Clarkson