Injured woman walked between trailer and van at traffic light: police
Credit to Author: Tiffany Crawford| Date: Wed, 23 Oct 2019 17:44:56 +0000
Vancouver police say a young woman horribly injured after she was dragged by a van in Vancouver on Oct. 12 had walked between the van and a connected trailer at a traffic light.
Desiree Evancio, 24, was struck by a van at Hastings Street and Jackson Avenue at 12:30 a.m. She was caught under the vehicle, which continued to travel along Hastings west for four blocks before it stopped.
Vancouver police spokesman Sgt. Steve Addison says police are still trying to piece together what happened, but new video evidence has shown the woman, for an unknown reason, walked between the van and the trailer it was hauling while it was stopped at a traffic light.
Addison called the situation “tragic” and said the case is still under investigation. He did not have an update on Evancio’s condition but said because of the extent of her injuries, which included a crushed jaw, and broken bones, police have not been able to speak with her in hospital.
No charges have yet been laid.
The van belonged to the American punk-rock band Off With Their Heads, which had been playing at a nearby restaurant.
A note on the band’s Facebook page last week said they had cancelled their tour after one of their members was involved in an accident on Oct. 12 in Vancouver. The band’s frontman, Ryan Young, says they’re waiting for more information to come to light, but until then they don’t feel comfortable carrying on playing live shows.
“Due to the sensitive nature of an accident a band member was involved with, I can’t elaborate any more than that,” he said, in the post.
Meantime, as of Wednesday, a GoFundMe page for Evancio had raised more than $178,000 of a $1-million goal. Evancio’s sister, Ashley Danh, said the reason they’re trying to raise $1 million is because it’s likely the driver’s U.S. insurance won’t cover her sister’s recovery costs.
Evancio, who worked at the Shark Club, is in Vancouver General Hospital with life-threatening injuries that include the loss of her right eye, a crushed jaw and multiple broken bones in her body, according to Danh.
Desiree Evancio is believed to have been walking near East Hastings and Jackson Avenue on Oct. 12, 2019, when she was struck by a van pulling a trailer and became trapped under the vehicle.
Addison has said that investigators believed the driver may have been impaired by alcohol and were investigating what role that impairment played in the collision.
-With files from David Carrigg