Elderly woman in hospital after being struck by police vehicle; IIO investigating

An elderly woman is in hospital after being struck by a police vehicle in Chilliwack on Friday night.

The woman was struck while crossing the street near the 5800-block of Tyson Road around 5:30 p.m., according to the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. (IIO).

The IIO, a civilian-led body that responds to incidents of serious injury or death involving police officers, has taken over the investigation.

Investigators have yet to determine what led to the crash or the extent of the woman’s injuries.

“We want to look at lighting conditions. We want to look at traffic conditions. We want to look at actions of the individuals involved, both the pedestrian and the driver. We want to consider things such as speed, we want to look at things that may have been distracting, if at all,” said Chief Civilian Director Ron MacDonald.

“It’s not our understanding that they were immediately life-threatening. It was a lower body injury. We’re still determining the exact extent of those injuries. However anytime a person of advanced age is struck in these circumstances, I’m sure there are concerns about their overall health.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's not our understanding that they were immediately life-threatening. It was a lower body injury. We're still determining the exact extent of those injuries. However anytime a person of advanced age is struck in these circumstances, I'm sure there are concerns about their overall health."

Anyone with information about the collision is asked to contact the IIO at 1-855-446-8477.

-With files from Kyle Benning