British Columbia's Independent Investigation Office is set to investigate a recent accident involving a New Westminster patrol car.
As previously reported by The Record, at about 2 p.m. on Aug. 13, a New Westminster police patrol car struck an oncoming van at Harvey and Cumberland Streets in Sapperton. The officer was responding to a call in a marked patrol car but did not have his sirens or emergency lights on at the time of the accident, said Sgt. Diana McDaniel of the New Westminster Police Department.
While police previously said that both the officer and 67-year-old driver of the van were taken to hospital with minor injuries and shortly released, the Independent Investigation Office has said that the driver of the van was hospitalized for treatment.
"On Aug. 15, the IIO (Independent Investigation Office) received updated information on the nature of the man's injuries," stated a media release from the investigation office.
Owen Court, of the investigation office, said the nature of the injuries won't be released at this time but he confirmed they met the "statutory definition of serious harm."
New Westminster Insp. Phil Eastwood added police were quick to report the incident to the investigation office – the provincial body that investigates police-related incidents, typically involving death or serious injury – but at the time, he wasn't sure whether an investigation would be conducted or not.
