A police officer has been cleared of any wrongdoing in a March incident in Langford in which a cyclist was hurt in a collision with a police vehicle.
The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. concluded that sightlines made it “difficult if not impossible” to avoid the crash. The civilian-led agency looks into police-related incidents involving death or serious injury.
“Based on the evidence, this incident was an unfortunate accident,” the agency’s report said.
The agency said the off-duty officer was driving south in the 2500-block of Millstream Road in an unmarked police vehicle about 2:55 p.m. on March 19 when the cyclist was coming out of a steep driveway.
The police vehicle and bicycle collided and the cyclist fell.
The officer called for an ambulance and was joined by a citizen in providing assistance to the cyclist before it arrived.
Analysis of the scene showed that the view of Millstream Road from the driveway is restricted by rock outcroppings on both sides, the agency said.
The agency said evidence showed the cyclist left the driveway and crossed the sidewalk and one lane of traffic before hitting the police vehicle’s driver’s-side door, with the height of the rocks on both sides of the driveway preventing the officer from seeing the bike coming.
