Distracted driving blamed after pedestrian hit

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NORTH VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) -The woman who careened off the road and up on a sidewalk, hitting a North Vancouver senior on Thursday afternoon has now been charged with distracted driving.

Corporal Richard De Jong says they came to the conclusion she was playing with her iPod when she jumped the curb, after investigators spoke to several people who stopped at the scene.

“Her driving was erratic, and they of course witnessed the whole incident.”

The 70-year-old man she struck was walking home from the gym.  He now has a broken leg, broken ribs and cuts on his face.

“He was taken to Lions Gate Hospital and he is undergoing surgery today.  The consequences of a woman’s lapse in judgement can be the difference between life and death for someone, and this is a prime example of that.”

The 19-year-old driver stayed at the scene.

A portion of Mount Seymour Parkway near Emerson Way was closed for several hours as crash investigators completed their work.

American advocate

News1130 spoke to one woman whose mother was killed by a distracted driver; she’s now an advocate for harsher punishments.  Using a mobile device while driving is illegal here in BC, but does the punishment fit the crime?

The laws south of the line are different from ours and Jennifer Smith is now comparing the need for tougher distracted driving penalties to ensure drunk driving is taken more seriously.

“It is a decision that you make to not pay attention to the road anymore and totally neglect the fact that you’re driving a 5,000-pound deadly weapon.”

In BC, many people caught distracted driving are only handed a fine.

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