The Independent Investigations Office of BC is investigating to determine whether police actions are linked to a Courtenay car crash.
Just after noon this past Friday (July 9th), the RCMP says an officer travelling northbound on Headquarters Road, north of Bridges Road, saw a dark-coloured sedan heading south, reportedly speeding.
The officer turned around and tried to conduct a traffic stop, but the car was already a distance away.
Soon after, a car, believed to match the description of the car the officer was trying to stop, was found involved in a single-vehicle collision with a utility pole.
The driver, a man, was found in a ditch a few metres away from the scene of the crash. According to the RCMP, he sustained serious non-life-threatening injuries. The officer provided first aid until Emergency Health Services arrived and transported the driver to hospital.
The RCMP says it’s continuing to investigate the cause of the crash. Meanwhile, the Independent Investigations Office (IIO) has begun its investigation to determine what role, if any, the officer’s actions or inactions may have played in the crash.
They’re asking anyone with relevant information or dashcam footage of the incident to call their Witness Line toll-free at 1 (855) 446-8477, or via the contact form on the iiobc.ca website.
