Highway patrol cleared of wrongdoing in West Van speed trap crash

Photo: File photo

Police have been cleared of any wrongdoing in a serious collision involving a motorcyclist at a speed check in West Vancouver.

On July 18, members of the BC Highway Patrol were searching for speeders on Highway 1 when a woman on a Harley-Davidson crashed into the back of a Ford F-150 pickup.

She was taken to hospital with serious injuries, and the collision investigation choked highway traffic for hours.

The next day, the Independent Investigations Office, the province’s watchdog tasked with investigating all cases of death or serious harm involving police, announced they would be reviewing the incident to see whether “police actions or inactions” may have played a role in the collision.

After interviewing independent witnesses, the IIO has since wrapped that investigation. It found drivers steadily slowed their speed when they spotted police, who were on the shoulder “with adequate space to conduct road checks safely,” a release from the IIO stated.

“The [chief civilian director] has reviewed the evidence and determined that the actions of police were not responsible for the collision. The truck decreased speed slowly as is usual upon observing a speed check, and the female motorcyclist did not slow correspondingly to avoid a collision. The IIO investigation is now concluded,” the release stated.