Woman charged in crash that killed 2, injured 9 at wedding in West Vancouver

A woman has been charged in connection with a vehicle crash at a wedding in West Vancouver last year that left two people dead and injured nine others.

Hong Xu, 64, faces one count of driving a motor vehicle without due care and attention in connection with the Sat. Aug. 20, 2022 crash on Keith Road near Keith Place, West Vancouver police said Tuesday.

Xu, a West Vancouver resident, is accused of leaving her home on a shared driveway and colliding with a group of people at a wedding next door. She reportedly drove a 2016 Range Rover.

Two women in their 60s were killed at the scene and nine others were injured, including Xu. Two of those wounded sustained life-altering injuries, according to police.

Shortly after the horrific crash — unprecedented in the district municipality — a nearby resident told Global News he was painting his house when he heard “a bunch of screaming.”

“It was horrible,” the neighbour recalled, speaking on condition of anonymity. “It sounded like a vehicle rolling through something big.”

2:19 Cause of crash at West Vancouver wedding still unclear: police

Const. Nicole Braithwaite described the incident as “chaotic,” bringing tragedy into “what should have been somebody’s happiest day of their lives.”

In a Tuesday news release, she said the police department and victim services have since been in regular contact with the victims and their families.

The release said the charge against Xu was determined by Crown counsel after a “thorough investigation” by the police force, the release states.

Global News has reached out to West Vancouver police for more information.

Xu is due in North Vancouver Provincial Court on Sept. 20. She is not subject to any court-imposed conditions, other than attending her court date, the BC Prosecution Service confirmed.