Senior arrested 4 years after pedestrian hurt in Burnaby hit-and-run

Paramedics and firefighters respond to a hit-and-run that left a 68-year-old man critically injured in 2018 in Burnaby, B.C.

A pedestrian struck by a vehicle in a hit-and-run four years ago is still recovering from their injuries, police in Burnaby said, announcing the arrest of a suspect.

Officers said the pedestrian was 68 when he was struck by a vehicle on Gilley Avenue on March 4, 2018, and that the man is still dealing with those injuries today.

He'd been rushed to hospital on that Sunday after being hit by a car in the 7400 block. The driver took off, leaving the pedestrian at the scene with injuries described at the time by police as "critical."

On Wednesday, nearly four years to the day after the crash, police announced that they believe they've found that driver.

They said a charge was approved last week against a 70-year-old man, and that he was arrested Tuesday.

Lyle Fraser faces one count of failure to stop at the scene of an accident involving bodily harm, the Burnaby RCMP said in a news release.

They did not provide further details, including what led to Fraser's arrest, and the charges against him have not been tested in court.

Back in 2018, police said they'd found a vehicle of interest in the case, but did not give any more information on how it was identified or even what type of vehicle it was. 

They said they were looking for witnesses and anyone with dash-cam video.

In their initial news release, police said it appeared the driver struck the pedestrian near Beresford Street at around 9 p.m. The driver didn't stop, heading south on Gilley Avenue.

It was unclear at the time whether the pedestrian was in a marked crosswalk when he was hit, but residents of the area told CTV News that it's a dangerous spot to cross. 

One woman said she sees a lot of drivers speeding past without noticing someone is trying to walk across.