The 37-year-old male passenger who died after a single-vehicle crash on Richmond's "Misery Mile" on Tuesday has been named by his family as Raji Kaila, of Delta.
Police have yet to officially release the details of those involved in the crash, but Kaila's family made the sad announcement on Facebook on Thursday.
Richmond RCMP is now investigating after yet another fatal crash on one of the city’s most notorious stretches of road.
At around 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday – at the peak of that morning’s snowfall – police were called to the area of River and No. 8 roads after a report that a car had collided with a hydro pole and slid off the road.
On arrival, officers discovered a white 2006 Acura sedan was partially submerged in a ditch.
The driver, a 45-year old male from Delta, had managed to escape from the vehicle and his 37-year-old passenger, also from Delta, was rescued with the help of the driver and good Samaritans.
However, the passenger, according to police, required life-saving first aid.
Both occupants of the car were taken to hospital by paramedics but, by late afternoon, the passenger had succumbed to his injuries.
Neither alcohol nor drugs are believed to be factors in the crash, with road conditions being suspected at the moment.
The Richmond RCMP Road Safety Unit (RSU) is investigating the fatal accident.
If anyone has information or dashcam footage on the incident, police would like you to contact Const. George, of the Richmond RCMP Road Safety Unit, at 604-278-1212.
Workers in the area have repeatedly called for safety improvements to the stretch of River Road, between No. 7 Road and Westminster Highway, after having to pull stricken drivers from spun-out cars, over-turned in water-filled ditches.
The Richmond News reported in September how the City of Richmond – contrary to what the majority of area residents wanted – was planning next spring to install 20 “cushioned” speed humps on the exact same section of road, in a bid to alleviate major safety issues.
Earlier this year, the News reported how, in the last, eastern-most mile of River Road alone, there have been five, driving-related deaths from 2013 to 2016.
One of those deaths was that of 33-year-old cyclist Brad Dean, who was killed in November 2016 after his cycling group was allegedly hit head-on by a car driven by Michael Wing Sing Fan.
Fan has since been charged with driving without due care and attention and has yet to make a plea in court.
As part of a city-led consultation process about road improvements, residents had called for more police enforcement of the posted 50 km/h speed limit on the stretch which has long been considered as one of the most dangerous in Richmond, especially for cyclists.
Although taking note of the residents’ concerns about noise and safety caused by potential speed humps, city staff cited that car and truck speeds in the area cannot be tempered by enforcement alone.
And a report and recommendation, approved by city council, described how the proposed humps have been very effective on the southern stretch of Gilbert Road, close to Dyke Road, without any damage to vehicles, while allowing them to travel at the speed limit of 50.
Along with associated signage, the cost of installing the 20 speed humps is $100,000, which will come from the city’s traffic calming program.
As well as the speed humps, the city has already completed installing new “single file” signage and dashed, single yellow road markings.
“Caution” signs are also expected to be finished soon, to advise motorists when to expect large volumes of cyclists on the road, usually during weekends.
Tragic toll:
Nov. 6, 2016:
Cyclist Brad Dean died and two more cyclists were seriously injured after they were hit head-on by a car travelling east in the 23000-block of River Road.
Dec. 14, 2015:
A 47-year-old man died after the car he was driving slammed into the support pillars of a train trestle in the 20000-block of River Road.
Sept. 7, 2014:
A driver died after his vehicle flipped over in the 22100-block of River Road and landed upside down in the Fraser.
July 17, 2013:
A vehicle carrying four occupants between the ages of 18 to 21 was travelling eastbound in the 22000-block of River Road when it collided with two power poles. The 18-year-old female driver died.
