One dead, two injured in Granville Island crash

One of Vancouver’s most popular attractions was transformed into chaos Thursday after a motor vehicle struck three pedestrians, killing one of them.

Olya Horodechna was working at a Ukrainian bakery when the collision happened nearby at about 12:30 p.m. in the 1600 block of Anderson Street on Granville Island.

“I heard the noise and the car just moved very fast to the back … it looked like someone was moving from the parking lot,” she told Postmedia News. “It was just like one second. The car moved, hit the building and everyone started running.”

 Vancouver police said two pedestrians suffered minor injuries, but a third pedestrian was pinned under the vehicle and died. No names were immediately released.

 The driver remained at the scene, and was co-operating with the police investigation.

Police closed The Net Loft building and cordoned off the immediate area. The rear of a black Ford SUV was visibly crumpled up against the corner of the building.

Jonathan Gormick, a spokesman for the Vancouver Fire Department, said the severity of the incident prompted a heavy response from emergency crews, which included two ambulances, two heavy rescue outfits, a fire engine and command staff.

A structural engineer from the City of Vancouver was inspecting a two-storey wood building to determine whether it’s safe to enter, he said

The accident caused additional traffic snarls on the already busy Granville Island.

lpynn@postmedia.com

with files from The Canadian Press

Police and Fire Department crew at the scene of an SUV crash in the Net Loft at Granville Island, in Vancouver, BC., July 28, 2016. One person was killed in the accident with several others injured. 

An SUV struck three people and then drove into the Net Loft building on Granville Island Thursday afternoon. 

Police and Fire Department crew at the scene of an SUV crash in the Net Loft at Granville Island, in Vancouver, BC., July 28, 2016.

Police and Fire Department crew at the scene of an SUV crash in the Net Loft at Granville Island, in Vancouver, BC., July 28, 2016.

Police and Fire Department crew at the scene of an SUV crash in the Net Loft at Granville Island, in Vancouver, BC., July 28, 2016.

Police and Fire Department crew at the scene of an SUV crash in the Net Loft at Granville Island, in Vancouver, BC., July 28, 2016.