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No charges for Mountie who hit pedestrian in middle of Langley Bypass

Pedestrian was distraught, intoxicated, and walking down the middle of the highway
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Investigators on scene after a pedestrian was struck in the early hours of Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021. (Langley Advance Times files)

WARNING: This story describes serious injuries and self-harm

There will be no charges against a Langley RCMP officer whose car ran into a man who was walking down the centre of the Langley Bypass in the middle of the night.

The Independent Investigations Office of B.C., (IIO) which looks into all police interactions that lead to a death or injury, found that the officer involved was driving and acting reasonably on the night of the collision.

The officer, whose name is not included in the Nov. 24 report, was off duty and headed home in their Subaru Outback in the early morning hours of Aug. 26, 2021.

Under the 196th Street overpass, the officer struck a pedestrian who had apparently been walking in the road for some time.

Just before the collision, there had been two 911 calls from other drivers, both of whom reported seeing a man in dark clothing walking in the traffic lanes. One described him as a “suicidal person” in their call to the 911 disptach.

At 12:36 a.m., the officer’s Subaru hit the pedestrian, who was flung up into the air, according to a civilian witness.

PREVIOUSLY: Morning commute crash under investigation at Langley-Surrey border

After the collision, the same witness heard the victim saying “Just kill me, just kill me, I just need to die.”

The officer said they hadn’t seen anything, and didn’t even know what they had hit at first.

The victim was rushed to Royal Columbian Hospital with a fractured left femur, rips, and injuries to his abdomen and lungs. He also suffered injuries to his left knee and ankle, and cuts on his left hand.

The victim later confirmed that he had had about 10 to 11 drinks and was having some personal difficulties at the time. He had walked about five kilometres before the collision.

There was no sign that the officer had been impaired.

An accident report and footage from CCTV cameras showed that the crash took place in the dark under the overpass, and that the pedestrian wasn’t caught in the car’s headlights until just before the impact.

“This made the collision virtually unavoidable and very unfortunate in these circumstances,” the IIO report said.

Chief civilian director Ronald J. MacDonald said there were no grounds to believe that any criminal offence had taken place, so there will be no recommendation of any criminal charges.

READ ALSO: Collision of bicycle, Langley RCMP vehicle now under IIO review


Have a story tip? Email: matthew.claxton@langleyadvancetimes.com

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Matthew Claxton

About the Author: Matthew Claxton

Raised in Langley, as a journalist today I focus on local politics, crime and homelessness.
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