RCMP investigators last week continued to piece together details of the circumstances which lead to a man being run over by a pickup truck July 16 on Hwy 16 approximately 15 kilometres west of Houston. He later died in hospital.

The incident took place at approximately 6 p.m. July 16 with an ambulance being dispatched to the location at 6:12 p.m. Paramedics cared for the man at the scene and transported him to Bulkley Valley District Hospital.

鈥淭he patient, a man in his 40s from Winnipeg, was transported to hospital in Smithers about 50 kilometres west where his condition worsened and he died a short time later,鈥� Corporal Mike Halskov of the RCMP鈥檚 B.C. Highway Patrol said.

He said the driver of the pickup has been interviewed and is cooperating with police and that independent witnesses are being sought as is any dashcam footage.

In particular, investigators want to talk to the occupants of a pickup that had stopped well behind the incident around the time it occurred as they are considered key witnesses.

The RCMP collision and analysis and reconstruction service was called in to assist the RCMP Highway Patrol and the BC Coroners Service is also involved.

Halskov said the RCMP first became aware of the accident at 6:35 p.m. July 16 when officers came across the scene.

The officers were not from the highway patrol or from surrounding detachments but from the Community-Industry Response Group, the name given to the RCMP鈥檚 specific group of officers called out for situations where there are protests relating to resource use or industrial projects.

In this case, Halskov said the officers were part of a shift change connected to the group鈥檚 presence at the Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline route south of Houston.

Anyone who witnessed this incident and has information that could aid the investigation, including any dashboard camera video, can contact Sergeant Shawn McLaughlin at the Terrace office of the highway patrol, 250-638-7438.

editor@interior-news.com
Like us on and follow us on