The province’s Special Investigations Unit is investigating after a 94-year-old woman was killed in a two-car crash at Colborne Street West and Gilkison Street on Monday morning.
The woman was a passenger in a car that was struck by a vehicle fleeing from Brantford police officers, the SIU said in a statement.
The woman was pronounced dead at Brantford General Hospital. The driver of the vehicle that she was in was in suffered several fractures.
The identity of the woman has not been released.
The crash happened at about 10:40 a.m.
The SIU said that police were searching Monday morning for a 29-year-old man in connection with an assault with a weapon. Just after 10:30 a.m., officers tried to stop a vehicle, which fled.
The SIU said that two people were in the suspect vehicle. One was uninjured in the crash and the other was treated for minor injuries.
Insp. Dave Wiedrick said Brantford police are co-operating fully with the SIU investigation.
“As regulated by the act, the SIU will issue any further media releases on this matter until such time a decision is rendered by the SIU,” he said in a statement.
The SIU is an arm’s length agency that investigates reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault.
The SIU has assigned three forensic investigators and a collision reconstructionist to Monday’s crash.
The collision backed up traffic and forced the closing of Colborne, between Gilkison and Ballantyne Drive, for several hours.
It is the second time in just over two years that there has been a fatal accident at Gilkison and Colborne Street West.
On Oct. 10, 2014, Ashley Lerno, 18, of Brantford, was killed when the vehicle she was driving was struck by vehicle driven by Richard Gamble, 50. Gamble was being pursued by Brant County OPP officers after evading a RIDE program check.
Last month, Gamble was sentenced to 13 years in prison after being found guilty of criminal negligence causing death, dangerous driving causing death, failing to stop at an accident involving bodily harm or death and driving while disqualified.
Two Brant County OPP officers, Constables Craig McMurtrie and Rod Grubb, have been charged with criminal negligence causing death. Their trial is set to begin March 20.
Source: Simcoe Reformer