- Daredevil jumper
lands unscathed

Cap Suspension Bridge stunt

A. WOULD-BE- stuntman
jumped off the 230-foot-high
Capilano Suspension Bridge
’ Sunday morning...

By fan Noble :
TRE Ee
News Reporter “

He emerged from the clear pool.

far below uninjured seconds later.»

Police are investigating. the
incident and determining whether
or not to lay charges agaiast a 22-
year-old man Originally: from
_ Quebec City. i i

North Vancouver’ RCMP Sgt..
Jack Saunders said police would
not release’ the man's. “name
“because he hasn't been charged.

Saunders. said the. man thought”

confirmed the bridge
above the waiter.
“The man.* now living “in
Vancouver, was taken to Lions
Gate Hospital and released.

Kaffka, worries the, stunt may
lead to copycat jumpers.

She said bridge management
wants the man charged with (res-
passing and public mischief:

The man did not pay to get onto
the bridge, she siid, 7.

“Since the present “awners’ took
over the suspension bridge in.
1953,°no one has attempted the
jump. Kaffka said. .

She'said a bridge watch patrals
the bridge at all times to caution
people such as excited children |

is 230 feet

“who may. be disturbing other

guests.

“the bridge was only JOU feet high,

marketing, manager. Sue Kaftka lid Kaftka.

Adj ustment not
“made singled out .
-as cause of fatal.

® highway. accident

A “VERY | simple”. 15-minute ‘brake -
» adjustment could have prevented a.trag-
ic. ‘six-vehicle collision: that: left two ,
dead, said’a local motor vehicle i inspec-

: "asp ony. ‘Northcott performed” the F
“ mechanical inspection Aug: 18 ona truck ‘and >.
trailer units.thaty went out ‘of’ control on...
“ Highway 1 two. days earlier. Jt crashed -into :
rane injuring: five, and killing a resiz,

‘of adjustment on all vineele He said the ere out
-cle was unsafe. to.drive under any. conditions :
Had the driver done the. inspéction on the truck the mom-

ing of the accident he is required to do by Jaw-he:would have.

“noticed there. was’a problein with the’ brakes and. he should
have taken whatever corrective action necessary.”

“In this case; a very; simple :15- “minute! adjustment would

have taken care of- it. Northcott said. os 3. M

v “That's it ina nutshell. There are lots of peripheral i issues -

“that we are going to be dealing with i. but the bottom line is
that the“accident was caused by brake failre.”

"He. said the brakes were so badly out of adjusinient the,
truck could. not have Stopped. on the steep Cul, section of!

‘Train. meets car on

When the. min jumped, an
“but Capilano Suspension Bridge * employee , was “on bridge watch,
sa

NEWS photo Terry Peters

“VEMICLE INSPECTOR Jay Northcott blames faulty brakes ona tractor trailer unit -
for a chain of accidents that left two dead and five injured on the Cut Aug. 16. 7

Highway | even if the Marr Contractérs” trailer. which: carried .

excavation inaterials. had been empty:

Northcott said one truck brake we is rusted and bade’ t been e

working for a long time.”
He could not give an’ exact time frame but said; “There i is
rust.on the brake assembly’ which ‘clearly indicates itis not
working,” he said. Bb
In total, the truck and wailer unit had eight’ brakes. Only

_Uiree were. working and they were working only: marginally,
contributing a’ minimal amount of braking effort, Northcott

told the News, . :

Van track

NEWS photo Terry Petera

A WOMAN was hospitalized on Saturday after a collision between a Lumina van and a car at
17th Street and St. Andrevis Avenue. The van landed on its roof. Further details not available.’

Marr ‘Contractors ‘did: not. return News
phone. calls before deadline. Northcou ‘said
assertions by company owner Mario Battiston
that the truck and trailer received new: ‘brakes ;
six weeks ago may have been correct. | we

Northcott said most of the braking’compo-
nents were new but he could not tell if ahey

were six weeks or three months old.’

“The safety aspects of this vehicle were all.’
within safety “regutations, eaget hs brakes.”
he said. ;

Port Mann Highway P rol Const. Clarke
; said the accident investigation will likely take
a month to complete.

‘Traffic analysts investigating the accident 7

and the motor vehielz branch ;have not!sub- :

| mitted their reports,, said Clarkes foo 3 7

_- Jnvestigators are * also looking into. “the

truck's mechanical history. | Prior to the: acci-

‘ dent. Bee x

~ Clarke said’ ‘police have! spoken with all

a pedple directly. involved -int the accident and:

the majority, of witnesses :

: Meanwhile.-‘an ass¢ciation of inicking:

company) owners - and: ijManagers: ‘said local =

trucks should be ‘subject to more inspections...
He called fora graduated licence program, for

drivers.

“Paul Landry. president of. the ® B. c.

Tricking Association. said trucks cotild operate indefinitely i in
areas such as the Lower Mainland without being inspected...“

In contrast.’ long-distance trucks are subject to safety
inspections up to (wo.or three times a day, said Landry..',"!
©, Local carriers, which often are involved in.a business’ other:
than trucking and happen to use Jarge trucks. are able to avoid ~
weigh scales; “There's virtually no:pressure on them’'to main.’
tain. their vehicles: from an enforcement standpoint.” said

« Landry. He wants. mobile inspectors to stop such tucks and!

inspect then. Although the Cut accident was a tragedy. he said
overall truck safety is good and i improving. ate

we yf : oe

‘Probe of

“AN ELDERLY couple narrowly avoided.

“serious injury on Si aturday after their car

was struck by a train and: pushed 35°.
metres (38..yards) down the. track near

. "Ambleside Park,
By “Bob Mackin cinid Anna Marie D Angelo
en eee
“News Reporters . ;

““{ noticed that the wheels” on ‘the t train had
completely locked, so‘ it was! skidding,” said:
witness . Mindy Mulligan who” manages the

“nearby Sausalito Cafes: 5:

“fran down: and it must have’ been in sec

‘onds thatall the police at the police station ran

outs but, 116,, ane moved in the. car at call, ” she 4

, Said. 2

The 80- year-old. driver: reevived a broken
“aose as a result of the collision. His 80- year-old .

“wife received minor cuts. despite “the, Royal
Hudson train hitting her side of the car, accord-
: ANCOUVET Police (WYP)

Wey.

, Spokesman.

7 Polices etined to release the couple's

a hearing Q

‘aid when the e ar was hit, wats charged under the

Motor Vehicle Act with’ failing to stop at flash-.

ing signals. :
, BC Rail spokesman: Barrie Wall said the
flashing lights and bells on the railway crossing

sign were working properly. He said the engi-
Sieer: driving the ‘steam-engine train blew the
whistle “at Tength™ as he approached the cross-

ing.

pushed in. 1( was miraculous the passenger wa:

" not injured more serigusly,"* said Wall.

Watl said the ‘engineer - slammed on ane
emergency brakes us soon as he saw the ¢
“Ethink it would have been a lot worse if the

strain hadn't stopped as quickly as it did” said

Wall:
Wall said in typical situations, a car will roll
and end up under a train after being hit.
Police said the driver stopped the late-niode

‘Buick when someone in an: oncoming car

wa wed both hands wad indicated the ¢ ar sould

Stop. B

Said WVP Set. Hugh Carleton, “I ‘Luckily the

; bur was hit right on the front wheel area. If the ;
car had of gone a couple of feet further it would ©

“The passenger side (of the car) was really

“have hit on the passenger’ $ door.”
The car was leaving Ambleside Park when i its

iam.
The couple was, taken’ to Lions Gate
Hospital. ; a
Meanwhife, Wall said none of the 450 pas-
sengers on the train was injured. ”
Said passenger Alex Wallace of Vincouver,
“The first thing we knew he (the: engineer)

~ dynamited the brakes and it came to a halt.
THe didn’ [appear to be going particularly .

fasts"

Wallace’ and the other passengers had
planned ‘to. go for a day trip to Squamish,
Instead they were transferred back’to the North.
Vancouver Wain station while police examined
‘the c ish site. .

_ Passengers were offered refunds ora chance
o.reschedule their trips, said Wall.

“Damage to the train included superficial , ;

“scratches: and a stight dent to the cow catchers It

“wis -back on the run the next say, said, Walle,

“The ain was about-25 minutes late when it
“was passing thvough Amb
for a tour bus in North Na OUVE, a

‘stopped on the railway tracks at about’ 10:30"

ide “after waiting “|

company

continues.

From page 1

‘ment of $390,000 by Evergreen to
: Riva Yachts of Canada, -"

Riva Yachts is controlled by
Kostiuk and his wife, who faces no
charges.

The: News - first reported the
mounting criminal investigation of “
Kostiuk last November.

The “promoter. ‘told fa North *.

Vancouver provincial court judge |
lust month chat, dre News reporter
had. niounted | it conspiracy Ags ainst
hime |, ; :
“Ais despicable, “he suid.
-Kostiuk repeatedly. hung up the
phone, when the News ¢ ‘alled him."
“Wis:all bull---- the. police”
have not been'able to. find out any
thing,” he told the News in March
“The RCMP ‘prabe'co é