A woman behind the wheel of a motorized scooter that killed a 91-year-old man in Burnaby won’t be facing any charges.
The NOW has learned the Burnaby RCMP forwarded a report on the incident to Crown Counsel, but a decision in June was made not to proceed with charges.
The accident happened at the corner of Edmonds Street and Mary Avenue around 1 p.m. on Sept. 11, 2015. Investigators believe a woman driving a blue scooter on the sidewalk collided with a man using a walker.
The victim, 91, was taken to hospital with serious injuries. He died the following day. His was later identified by his family as Julio Chavez.
The woman in the scooter was never identified.
Burnaby RCMP Staff-Sgt. Maj. John Buis said he couldn’t comment on the Crown’s decision not to move forward with charges. He also wasn’t sure if the woman’s scooter was taken away from her, noting police don’t have the mechanism to do so.
The provincial Crown spokesperson was unable to comment on the specifics of the case.
In an interview last year, Chavez’s family questioned why there were few rules and regulations when it comes to driving a scooter on public sidewalks and roadways.
“We are all devastated by this,” granddaughter Kita Eserve told media at the time. “People are using these scooters and there are no rules or regulations around them. It is awful what happened. We are all in shock. We didn’t think something like this could happen. That is what breaks our heart.”
Buis suggested the rules regarding scooters haven’t caught up with regulations, adding it’s an issue the government may want to consider.
“You get these kinds of situations, traditionally pedestrians stayed on the sidewalks and motor vehicles stayed on the roads,” he said. “With the increase use of mobility devices like scooters by people having difficulty moving, there’s some interactions.”
