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COVID-19 delays case of bus driver charged in fatal Burnaby pedestrian crash

Suresh Chand Lal, 56, is accused of driving without due care and attention and failing to yield to a pedestrian at a green light.
bus crash
Emergency crews respond to a fatal pedestrian collision at 6th Street and 16 Avenue involving a transit bus on Dec. 13, 2018.

A transit bus driver charged in a fatal pedestrian collision in Burnaby a year-and-a-half ago will be back in court next week after a COVID-19-related court delay.

Suresh Chand Lal, 56, has been charged under the Motor Vehicle Act of driving without due care and attention and failing to yield to a pedestrian at a green light in connection with the  incident on Dec. 13, 2018.

First responders were called to Sixth Street and 16th Avenue at about 7 p.m. that day for reports a pedestrian had been hit by a bus, according to the Burnaby Fire Department.

Upon arrival, they found a 22-year-old woman pinned under a transit bus, assistant fire Chief Dave Younger told the NOW in December 2018.

Firefighters at the scene reported the bus appeared to have been turning left when it struck the woman who had been crossing the street, Younger said.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Burnaby RCMP investigated the incident and recommended charges against Lal to the B.C. Crown Prosecution Service in September, according to spokesperson Cpl. Mike Kalanj.

Lal made his first court appearance in January, but his last court date in March was adjourned because of COVID-19.

His next appearance, to enter a plea, is scheduled for June 10 in Vancouver provincial court.