B.C.’s police watchdog has cleared officers of any wrongdoing in the death of a woman in a motor vehicle accident near Campbell River in July.
The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. determined there are no reasonable grounds to believe that any officer committed an offence, and that based on the evidence available, no police action could have prevented the woman’s death.
The ruling was released Friday by the IIO, an independent civilian oversight agency that investigates all officer-related incidents that result in serious harm or death.
During its investigation, the IIO reviewed witness statements, vehicle data and police information related to the July 31 incident.
Around 5:30 a.m. on that day police received a call about a grey Subaru Outback driving erratically northbound on the Island Highway near Perkins Road.
Half an hour later, police got another report that a vehicle had left the road in a forested area. When police arrived, a grey Subaru and its female driver were located down an embankment.
“The IIO investigation commenced to examine the police response as police had received a call around half an hour before the collision reporting that the Subaru reportedly being driven erratically,” said Rebecca Whalen, the IIO's media and communications liaison.
“In cases such as this, the IIO investigation seeks to determine if police action, or inaction, may have played any role in the collision and subsequent death.”
