Nanaimo, B.C., woman charged in fatal parking lot crash involving modified truck

NANAIMO, B.C. — A woman in Nanaimo, B.C., has been charged with dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death partially due to what police say were modifications made to her truck.

RCMP say the 24-year-old driver was parked at Woodgrove Mall on March 21 last year when an 85-year-old woman parked her vehicle beside the truck.

The elderly woman left her car and began walking to the mall, at the same time as the truck driver pulled out and turned left, hitting the victim and knocking her to the ground.

Police say a contributor to the fatal crash was the modifications made to the truck, including a raised suspension, oversized tires and tinted windows.

The changes “made driving in a crowded parking lot at a busy mall unsafe,” police say.

Investigators say the modifications weren’t part of the original design of the truck and contributed to the tragic outcome and the serious charge laid reflects what is “a significant danger to the public.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 11, 2025.