Ian Shelton, Victoria, B.C. (Victoria Times Colonist) – A woman injured in a crash with RCMP cruisers in Duncan last week has died.
The 30-year-old Duncan woman, who died in hospital Monday, suffered a fractured skull when her 1997 Chevrolet Lumina was hit from behind by a fast moving RCMP cruiser last Wednesday. The investigation was initially handled by RCMP, but it was handed over to Saanich police the day after the crash.
This marks the first time RCMP has been the subject of an external investigation into a fatal collision. External investigators are used in any incident involving RCMP that results in serious injuries or death.
“This is being treated as a major case,” Sgt. Dean Jantzen of Saanich police said. “I would suggest this is going to be a lengthy and involved investigation.”
The woman was driving north on the Trans-Canada Highway with a 26-year-old male passenger. She pulled to the side of the road as three RCMP cruisers approached with sirens wailing. They were en route to the scene of a domestic assault.
After the first cruiser passed, however, she pulled back onto the road and into the path of the second cruiser, which collided with the rear of her grey Lumina, causing it to roll.
It eventually settled on its roof, trapping the driver and passenger inside.
The officers in the third cruiser and the damaged second police car scrambled to assist the woman and her passenger, while the first car continued to the scene of the assault.
Firefighters and police managed to extract the two from the Lumina and both they and officer involved in the collision where taken to Cowichan District Hospital. The male passenger and officer were released a short time later with minor injuries, while the woman was transferred to intensive care unit at Victoria General Hospital.
She was on life support until yesterday afternoon.
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