A pedestrian has died after being hit by a charter bus over the weekend.
According to Delta police, the accident occurred just before 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27 in the 7200-block of River Road in the Tilbury area, as the bus was travelling eastbound.
A man in his 40s was pronounced dead at the scene. Police say it appears he was struck while attempting to cross River Road, noting it was raining and dark at the time of the crash.
The driver of the charter bus remained on the scene, and there were no passengers on the bus at the time of the crash.
DPD Const. Sarah Swallow tweeted Sunday at 2:09 a.m. that the road was closed between 68 Street (MacDonald Road) and 76 Street. It re-opened at approximately 6:40 a.m.
“Delta Police collision reconstruction unit working on River Rd at Hopcott. Road to remain closed for several hours both directions,” Delta Police Traffic Unit tweeted at 4:24 a.m.
River Road is closed until further notice between 68th Street (MacDonald Rd) and 76th Street (Ross Rd) as we investigate a serious collision. Use #Hwy17 #SFPR as alternate route.
— Cst. Swallow DPD (@CstSwallow) October 28, 2018
“Police are actively investigating this crash and are asking for any witnesses who have not yet spoken to police, or for anyone who may have relevant dash cam video, to contact Delta police at 604-946-4411,” Cris Leykauf, public affairs coordinator for the Delta Police Department, said in a press release.
Police have not yet located the man’s next of kin, so are not releasing further details at this time.
The incident marks the second pedestrian fatality in Delta in four days.
On Tuesday, Oct. 23, a 44-year-old Surrey man was struck and killed by a pickup truck as it turned northbound out a parking lot near the 9000-block of Scott Road at around 7:30 p.m.
READ MORE: Pedestrian dead after crash near Surrey-Delta border
“Delta Police are very troubled to experience a second pedestrian fatality in our city in less than a week,” says Leykauf. “We also had another instance on the weekend where a driver struck a pedestrian in North Delta, fortunately resulting only in a minor injury.”
Delta police are urging pedestrians venturing out at night to wear reflective clothing or lights so they can be easily seen, and reminding drivers they need to be aware that days are shorter and often gloomy, and that pedestrians can be hard to spot, particularly if they are wearing dark clothing.
— with files from Aaron Hinks and Amy Reid.
