Abbotsford Police on Thursday announced that no charges will be laid in the tragic August 24, 2007 wedding crash in which six people lost their lives and 19 others were injured during a pre-wedding celebration (“Jaago” procession).
Police spokesperson Const. Casey Vinet said: “In completing a report to crown counsel, charges of criminal negligence and dangerous driving under the Criminal Code of Canada, and drive without due care and attention under the B.C. Motor Vehicle Act were carefully considered by investigators. However, based on the findings the primary investigator did not recommend charges. Crown Counsel conducted an independent review of the report and concluded the driver's actions did not constitute an offence.”
He said the families affected by this crash had been informed of the investigation results.
Vinet said: “This crash has affected our entire community and we would like to again express our heartfelt sympathies to the families of the victims and to all those who has been impacted by this terrible tragedy. It has touched a lot of lives, caused a lot of pain, and is a day that will never be forgotten.”
According to police, just after 11 p.m. on August 24 “Abbotsford Police, Abbotsford Fire / Rescue and the B.C. Ambulance Service responded to a collision in the 1800-block of Lefeurvre Road involving a 1981 Chevrolet pickup and multiple pedestrians. The 1800 block of Lefeuvre is located in a rural residential area of west Abbotsford and is a two-lane roadway with one lane dedicated for northbound and one lane dedicated for southbound traffic. The roadway is flat and straight with a posted 60 km/hr speed limit. There are no sidewalks and no overhead streetlights.
“The pedestrians were part of a larger group of approximately 35 who were involved in a pre-wedding procession walking south on the roadway in the southbound lane. At the time of the crash the group was in route to a residence a short distance away. The Chevrolet pickup, traveling from the north in the southbound lane, collided with the group from behind before coming to a stop a short distance away. Tragically, six people died at scene and 19 others were injured.
“The emergency response included 14 ambulances, two helicopters, and dozens of police and fire personnel. The injured were transported to various Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley hospitals.”
Those killed were Rubal Kaur Gill, 21, and her brother Bhupinder Singh Clair, 25, both from Toronto, Harjinder Kaur Sanghera, 57, Satwinder Kaur Mahil, 57, Ripudaman Singh Dhillon, 32, who was from India, and Damanpreet Kang, 13.
The driver was Bachittar Singh Brar, 71.
The Abbotsford Police conducted a full and complete investigation considering all possible factors leading to the crash.
Vinet said: “This crash is one of the most tragic events that the Abbotsford Police Department has had to investigate in its 53 year history. We are confident we have done everything we can to respond to the families who have been waiting so patiently for answers.”
Included in the examination process were factors such as speed and mechanical fitness of the pickup truck, actions of driver pre- and post-crash, actions of the pedestrians’ pre- and post-crash, medical condition of the driver including eyesight, sobriety of the driver, roadway conditions, weather and visibility, driver’s perception reaction time, ability to avert collision and witness accounts.
In my report in The VOICE of September 1, I wrote:
Some unfortunate combinations of events and decisions will likely haunt many of the victims families for a long time to come in the August 24 Abbotsford accident tragedy in which a pickup truck drove right into a ‘jaago’ procession of about 30 Indo-Canadians from the back on a dark rural road, Lefeuvre Road near the King Road crossing, leaving six dead and 17 injured:
* According to Avtar Mahil (the father of the bride, Harsimran), the “Nanka Mail” celebration (traditionally held for guests from the mother’s side) had wrapped up and he had gone to bed by 10 p.m. when most of the 150 guests had left. However, someone suddenly decided to hold a “Jaago” procession to the nearby house of a very close family friend, Shamsher Mahil, and the accident occurred when the procession was headed back.
* Then, the truck with flashers that was supposed to tail the procession was just turning around in the family friend’s driveway to head towards it when the pickup truck driven by a 71-year-old Indo-Canadian suddenly appeared and plowed into the group.
* Also, according to Avtar Mahil, his wife didn’t want to drink juice and asked for some water as the procession left his close friend’s house, so she got delayed. Otherwise, she might have been among the first to be hit by the truck. On the other hand, his younger brother, Balbir Mahil’s wife, Satwinder Kaur, who was in the procession, got killed.
* Avtar Mahil, a well-established blueberry farmer, also told The VOICE at his house at 1613 Lefeuvre Road on Wednesday that Ripudaman Singh Dhillon, one of the six killed, happened to be visiting his sisters in the United States and so came along to the wedding. Now his body would be flown back to India.
So it will be natural to ponder on the many “if’s” even as the healing process gets underway after Sunday’s (September 2) funerals.
The families of the bride, Harsimran Kaur Mahil, 22, and the groom, Jarnail Singh Grewal, decided to go ahead with a simple wedding in Mission gurdwara last Sunday, although the reception was cancelled.
- Rattan Mall
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