Driver facing $1,075 fine for hitting pedestrian, running red light on Blanshard Street last year

Driver facing $1,075 fine for hitting pedestrian, running red light on Blanshard Street last year
CHEK
VICTORIA POLICE

The driver of a vehicle that struck a woman as she was walking through a crosswalk in Victoria last year is facing a significant fine and the loss of demerit points, say police.

In late December, a motorist was captured on dashcam running a red light and hitting a young woman — who was walking within the crosswalk at the intersection of Blanshard streets — and then driving off.

Shocking footage released by the Victoria Police Department showed the woman fly through the air after she was struck by a snow-covered MINI Countryman. The woman is later seen getting up and then collapsing down on the sidewalk before being attended to by a passing motorist.

Fortunately, and incredibly, the woman was not killed and only suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

RELATED: VicPD seek driver following a hit and run of pedestrian on Blanshard Street

In a press release issued Friday, VicPD says the motorist of the MINI is facing a fine of $1,075 and the loss of eight demerit points.

The motorist is also facing charges that include driving without due care and attention, failure to remain at the scene of a collision, driving while view is obstructed and an illegible plate.

According to ICBC’s Driver Penalty Point Premium chart means the driver will pay an additional $636 for insurance, if these are the only demerit points the driver has.

Asked why the motorist was not issued an immediate driving ban, a spokesperson for the Victoria Police Department told CHEK News in an e-mailed statement that officers in B.C. only have the ability to issue a driving ban or licence suspension under specific circumstances such as if someone is impaired.

“By taking this approach, the driver collects significant penalty points, which – depending on the driver’s history – may trigger a licence review or suspension from ICBC or the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles, in addition to the fines, as well as the fees connected to those penalty points,” the spokesperson said in an e-mail.

There are instances where the criminal charges and Motor Vehicle Act offences can be applied, but this incident was not one of them, the spokesperson noted.

“There are Criminal Code offences which could have been applied for criminal charges and there are Motor Vehicle Act offences. In this case, the investigation pointed to the MVA approach,” the spokesperson added in a follow-up e-mail.

Asked whether the motorist can still have their licence and is still legally able to drive, the spokesperson said they could not provide that information and directed the question to ICBC or the province’s Superintendent of Motor Vehicles.

Citing privacy concerns, an ICBC spokesperson said they could only provide such information if CHEK News were to get the driver’s permission to disclose whether their licence has been suspended or not.

“In order to provide any information about a customer, we’d need a name and signed consent form,” the spokesperson said in an e-mail.

The driver’s identity has not been disclosed because they have not been formally charged.

With files from Laura Brougham

Nicholas PescodNicholas Pescod

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