Driver of charter bus that killed pedestrian at Canada Place last summer charged

The driver of a bus involved in a fatal collision with a pedestrian outside of Canada Place last summer has been charged.

Vancouver police said Patrick Campbell, 63, is facing a charge of driving a motor vehicle without due care and attention. Crown approved the charges on Aug. 8.

The tragedy happened on Aug. 13, 2017, when a Vancouver Trolley Company (VTC) bus filled with tourists headed to the Capilano Suspension Bridge, slowly rolled into a crowd of tourists, before hitting a parked vehicle.

At least two people were pinned beneath the bus.

First responders rushed to the scene, but were unable to save one of the victims, 49-year-old Dr. Michael Plevyak, an obstetrician visiting from Massachusetts.

WATCH: Vancouver Police release details on tour bus crash near Canada Place

0:53 Pedestrian killed in tour bus crash in Vancouver

Plevyak’s 15-year-old daughter and two older relatives were also hurt in the crash.

One passenger on the bus told Global News that the driver had stepped on the brake, but nothing happened.

She said she remembers the driver screaming and trying to steer away from the curb.

Witnesses at the scene said the driver was visibly upset.

In the wake of the crash, Vancouver Trolley Company general Manger Stuart Coventry said the driver had been with the company for seven years and had an excellent driving record.

He added that company’s buses receive third-party inspections every six months and undergo daily pre-trip driver inspections.

Global News has requested comment from Westcoast Sightseeing, which merged with VTC last year, on the charges.

At the time of the collision, the company said it was fully co-operating with the investigation and posted a message of condolence to its Facebook page.

“We are shocked and saddened and our focus right now is on the people who were injured and the families of those injured and deceased,” it said.

-With files from Kyle Benning