New Westminster police announced Friday afternoon that charges had been approved against the driver of the vehicle that allegedly struck and killed 25-year-old Gemma Snowball last spring.
As previously reportedin The Record, Snowball was crossing at Sixth Street and Sixth Avenue around 10:30 p.m. on March 11, 2013 when she was hit by a vehicle. She was taken to Royal Columbian Hospital with major skull fractures, a broken pelvis and broken tibia. Snowball died in hospital two days later.
The young woman had recently moved to New Westminster from Perth, Australia and was working at the deli counter at Safeway. Co-workers said Snowball was a fun-loving, cheerful and energetic young woman.
“She knew everybody in the store. She talked to everybody,” said Sue Lawson, deli manager at Safeway. “She was wonderful.”
At the time of the accident, Sgt. Diana McDaniel, spokesperson for the New Westminster Police Department, told The Recordheavy rain and poor visibility due to artificial light could have played a role in the accident.
Officers with the collision analysis and reconstruction team, along with independent experts, conducted an extensive investigation into the crash, according to a media release from the department.
In December, police submitted its report to Crown counsel, recommending charges be laid against the driver.
Last week, New Westminster police announced 29-year-old Ryan Follack of Kelowna had been charged with driving without due care and driving without reasonable consideration. Follack’s first court appearance is scheduled for March 26.
