The details have been revealed about a crash in B.C.’s Chilcotin now under investigation by the province’s police watchdog.
A report this week from Vice News says the crash on Oct. 11 was caused when Terry Vecchiola, 67, slid off the road after hitting a deer near Anahim Lake.
When a passerby stopped to help, Vecchiola declined a ride back to town and requested the motorist contact emergency services while he waited with his vehicle.
But when RCMP arrived, Vecchiola was not near the vehicle, so the officers took his wallet, keys and medication from the van. Vecchiola, disorientated after the crash, had wandered away from the vehicle and laid down to catch his breath.
Vecchiola’s wife became concerned when he did not check in and called police, who eventually went back to the crash site and found a hypothermic Vecchiola, 23 hours after the crash.
Vecchiola nearly lost his feet as a result of exposure to cold, but doctors have managed to save them after multiple weeks in the hospital. He may still need heart surgery, according to a GoFundMe set up by his wife.
“Sadly, this storm is still brewing for us,” said the GoFundMe. “Terry is awaiting heart surgery and the biggest fight of his life. Without you all at our side, we can have hope that we will and can get through this.”
The Vice News report suggests the police officers who initially responded to the crash either failed to run the license plate of the crashed van, or did, and failed to notify Vecchiola’s wife, the registered owner of the vehicle. Running a license plate of a crashed vehicle is standard and basic procedure.
The BC RCMP said it was not aware of the extent of Vecchiola injuries until a reporter contacted them about the case. On Sunday, the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. announced it would be looking into the file.
The IIO investigates all incidents involving the police that lead to death or serious harm. The agency will determine how the officers’ actions, or inactions, may have led to the injuries Vecchiola sustained.
