For the second time in less than two months, a pedestrian is dead after trying to cross Garibaldi Way in the Garibaldi Estates.
Squamish resident Douglas Kenneth Gardner, 58, was struck by a vehicle while he was using the crosswalk at the intersection of Garibaldi Way and Tantalus Way at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday (Jan. 5).
Cpl. Dave Ritchie of the Squamish RCMP reported that Gardner was struck by a 1983 Volvo. A local resident in his early 20s was the only occupant in the eastbound vehicle.
Ritchie said it was cold that morning but the roads were not icy. He also noted that it was dark at the time of the incident.
"The pedestrian was transferred to Squamish Hospital and then airlifted to Vancouver General Hospital where he later passed away from injuries he had received," Ritchie reported in a news release.
A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. on Sunday (Jan. 9) at 1 p.m. at Squamish Funeral Chapel on Tantalus Way.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing. Ritchie said that the vehicle involved will go through a mechanical check and the investigators still have to do some calculations.
This fatal collision follows a similar death on Nov. 5 when Harold Butterworth, 84, was struck while crossing Garibaldi Way from the Chevron station to the Petro-Can station at 6:22 p.m.
Butterworth was thrown up onto the windshield of a 1993 Oldsmobile driven by a 22-year-old Squamish resident.
Cpl. Ritchie said at the time of that accident that Butterworth's injuries included numerous broken bones.
He was treated at the intensive care unit of Vancouver General Hospital until Nov. 11 when he passed away.
RCMP member assaulted
During an investigation into a break and enter into a storage unit on Third Avenue a member of the Squamish RCMP was struck by a stolen car. The member was not seriously hurt. The vehicle involved pulled into the storage unit area and the member was suspicious of the vehicle because of the fact that it was 10:50 p.m.
Ritchie said the member went to the vehicle, which appeared to contain four people, and spoke with the driver. The door on the driver's side was open.
"The vehicle reversed and the member was knocked down by the door," Ritchie said.
A search for the vehicle was initiated and Ritchie said that with the help of a police services dog a suspect was located at a residence in Squamish.
A 34-year-old Squamish resident was arrested and is now facing a serious of charges. The suspect was released on a promise to appear in court on Jan. 12 to face charges of dangerous driving, dangerous operation of a vehicle, assaulting a police officer and possession of stolen property.
Ritchie said that the vehicle was stolen and the plates on the stolen vehicle were reported stolen from a vehicle in Brackendale.
Lock your doors
The Squamish RCMP is encouraging local residents to lock up their houses before they turn in at night.
The warning comes after thieves entered two separate home in Brackendale while the occupants were asleep through the night on Dec. 28 and into the morning of Dec. 29.
Cpl. Dave Ritchie said that in one incident a guest staying in the home was asleep on a couch in the living room. The guest thought that a relative was moving around in the room when in fact the RCMP suspects it was a thief.
The homeowners were robbed of clothing, cameras, keys and other articles.
The police believe that the thieves gained access through unlocked doors.
