Auto accidents cla

Young North Van woman among the victims

Anna Marie D’Angelo

News Reporter adangclo@usnews.com

A 24-year-old North Vancouver woman died in a car crash on Friday on the Sea-To-Sky Highway, north of

Furry Creek.

Leila Reazvani was a student teacher coming, home atier her last day of practicum at Squamish elementary when she was killed in a tive-vehicle crash that occurred shortly alter 4 p.m.

According to the Squamish ROMP, the collt-

sion imolved a

white

Ford Mustang, a

Greyhound bus, a blue Jeep Cherokee, a blue Nissan Pathfinder anda black Subaru Outback. All of the vehicles were avelling north near a

_ construction zone.

~ Rezvani was extracted from her Subaru by paramedics and people on the scene, according

to Squamish RCMP.

Rezvani succumbed to her injuries. Seven people were injured in the collision, No one on

TransLink levy enforcement unresolved

From page

set out gansit goals for the North Shore. “Mayor Sharp wanted an increase in the size of the bus depot. We argued over the inequality of having a nwo-fare zone between the North Shore and Vancouver. There was a whole series of things that we as coun-

cillors all agreed on. We didn’t achieve any of those,

”

On Nov. 22 the Transfink board committed to

- pursuing as a “first priority and preference” a federal contibution to support its strategic transportation plan. ‘TransLink. also supported a request to the province for an increase in the regional gas taxa cent -per litre in 2001 and four cents per litre additionally “en 2002. The TransLink board voted that “the vehi- cle levy be eliminated, or reduced to the extent that

* federal. support and/or provincial government

approval for a gas tax is

forthcoming.” . Friday’s

board decision essential-

ly mirrors the TransLink °

board's direction. . .. Regional mayors had ‘mer. with — Finance

Minister Paul Martin ear- -

fier in. November. to make their pitch for a _five-year. annual cash -. infusion to the TransLink “operating *. budget. : Regional. politicians are ‘Jooking for $93 million for 2001 rising to $148 - million by 2005. Martin,

however, made no com-*

GVRD.

VICTOR Durman seeks GVRD vote

_ reform.

mitment to retum some of the $350 to $400 million in fuel tay revenue it collects yearly in the region. -* Durman maintains that die GVRD board should

have stood together on the issue. “We rep:

resent half

the population of B.C. and ifwe had turned the levy down, we could have said to the feds and. the \ province, ‘Look, we tried to put the levy in and the public has clearly stated no more taxes. We've now undercut. ourselves. Why would Martin or the province give us any money? They'll turn around and

say, ‘Well you’ve got the levy ~~ The TransLink Strategi

head

i¢ Transportation Plan

» identifies approximately $1.4 billion worth of cap- ital investments ‘between. 2000: and 2005. Expenditures include major road | network

improvements,

additional

buses, increased

handyDART set'vice_and expanded rail capacity ‘(SkyTrain and West Coast Express).

- Surrey, Delta and Langley are’ threatening to pull out of the GVRD. following Friday’s vote. © Durman said West Vancouver won't be taking the same route. “We 21+. willing to join a discussion as “to the voting structure that seems to be unfair Uwithin the GVRD and TransLink. There does “seem to be something wrong when you have one :group who are the major beneficiaries, such as Vancouver, appearing to impose their will on tax-

. payers in an area that is getting nothing.” _ ~The levy could go into effect by Oct. 1, 2001. TransLink stiff requires a. provincial order. in council to‘allow for a regulation requiring pay- ment.” North ‘Vancouver-based Coalition for ccountability »-in © Government - Enterprises (CAGE-BC) is calling for a boycott of any attempt

‘ to collect the tax. CAGE-BC chair Liz Jamies said ©

SkyTrain is being, built at the expense of the rest of the regional transportation system.

the bus was ingured. The highway was closed for three hour. Squamish ROAMID continue to inves: tigate.

Resvani’s husbariad, Dr. Nader Shatiti, sad the couple was building a home in Furry Creck.

Sharifi said his wite had been helping teach a Grade [class in’ Squamish. Fle said rescuers removed a poster from his wife's car made by the young students that read “World's Bess “Teacher.” The couple bad been manned for tive years, Leila Rezvani was born in Tehran, fran and came to Canada when she was three. She fived in North Vancouver for LE years.

A funeral service for Rezvani was held today at West Vancouver United Church. A memorial service is slated for Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency, 655 Barrard in Vancouver. -

Meanwhile another crash on the Sea-To-Sky Highway last week claimed the life of a Mayne Idand man. Kevin Piertzac, 41, was killed last

m two |

Therday night,

Squamish RCMP sav a vehicle travelling north on the highway beoween Lions Bay and Porteaun Cove Provincial Park lost contrat and collided head on with Piertzac’s vehicle which was headed in the opposite direction. The other Motorist, a worn, susGined minor injunes but a pascnger was thrown trom the vehicle. The passenger sustained serious injuries. Neo nantes were released. “Fo press time, Squamish KOMP had not ruled our alcohol use contributing to the crash. Noo further information was available about cither of the two fatal crashes on the Sea: ‘To-Sky Highway. Squamish RCMP wish to speak to witnesses. Police specifically wish) to speak to anyone who saw events shordy before the tive-car crash on Friday. Witnesses are asked to call (604) 898-961 E.

Meanwhile in North Vancouver last) Friday night, wwo pedestrians were struck by vehicles

Rescue at Mi

Vancouver woman tumbies down slope

Katharine Hamer

News Reporter khamer@usnews.com

A helicopter plucked a 55- year-old Vancouver woman off Mount Seymour Sunday after she fell down a 100 foot (30 m) slape.

Sandy Riley had been hiking with © two friends when she fell at approxi- ; mately 10:30 a.m. She hit her head ; on some rocks on the way down. :

Riley was found in a western gully : just north of Second Peak by a group: of six hikers who arrived on the scene: minutes after the accident. They had heard Riley’s friends calling down after her just before they spotted her.

Riley was bleeding from a cut to her head and her arm was pinioned behind her.

North © Shore — hikers Alex Ferguson and Jem Tari used a cell- phone to call for help and a first aid kit that Ferguson was carrying to attend to Riley’s injuries. Ferguson dialled 9-1-1 and was connected to North Shore Rescue (NSR),. who coordinated the rescue effort along with staff from BC Parks, Mount Seymour and the RCMP. Tari and Ferguson then looked for a possible helicopter landing site, but were unable to find anywhere suitable in the area. ;

When the cellphone cut’ out, Ferguson went further up the hill to” get a clearer signal. A third hiker was positioned between him and ‘Tari to relay information. i

Tim Jones of NSR arranged for a Talon helicopter to drop off one of his colleagues to assess the situation, A second helicopter, “carrying a medic (from Blackcomb’ with advanced . life support, rescue train- ing, arrived shortly afterwards.

Jones said he and his colleagues felt confident that Riley was in good hands until their arrival.

“The first people who arrive make a complete difference on calls like this before we arrive,” he said.

Ferguson described the group’s actions as “a team effort.”

Tari, who had first aid training, attempted to make Riley as comfortable as possible while they waited for help to arrive. He supervised the group as they immobilized her neck, ban- daged her head, and covered her with warm clothes and a space blanket.

““She was in a lot of pain,” said Tari. “She kept asking to be moved but we didn’t move her.” : :

Tari said Riley was in shock and only semi- conscious when she was found.

He said she “couldn’t really remember what had happened to her.” .

. Tari managed to keep Riley calm by using

-humour. He said: “I told her to call the heli- copter pilot ‘Biggles.’” : Riley was lifted on a stretcher to the sec- ond helicopter in what Jones termed a “long- line operation” at approximately 2:30 p.m. She was taken to Lions Gate Hospital with a fractured clavicle, ribs, neck, with a resulting pneumothorax, as well as a possible broken arm. Riley is an experienced hiker who last year climbed: Mount Kilimanjaro as’ part of a fundraiser for the Alzheimer Society of B.C. ‘Tari said that on Sunday she appeared to be

appropriately dressed for the weather condi-

tions. However, she was not carrying an ice axe. |

IVES

near the same area and 20° munutes apart. Nenher pedestian was seriously injured. “They were released from hospital, according, te the North Vancouver ROMP.

Police say the first pedestrian hit was 2 20- vearold woman who stepped out of a taxi and ran across the road dur- ing heaw rain at 5 p.m. She was struck by a vehi- de tavelling north in the 2100-block of Jones Avenue near Canon Graham secondary. Police say the driver saw the woman “at the last second” and was unable te stop. The second accident happened 20 minutes later at West 21st Street and Larson Road. A 17-year-old woman ran acrosy the road. Police say she was not in the crosswalk. The driver was travelling below the speed limit and was unable to stop in time. No charges were laid in either North Van incident.

our

LEILA Rezvani died in a car crash on the Sea- To-Sky Highway on Friday.

JEM Tari (foreground) and Alex Ferguson contacted rescue crews and administered . first aid when they found injured hiker Sandy Riley, who fell on Mt. Seymour Sunday. a

To press time Tuesday, Riley was in serious: - but stable condition at Lions Gate Hospital. °°

“We're very lucky we: got her. out,” said. - Jones. “We jump on calls like this real quick.”

In July of. last year a female. hiker. died” . from internal injuries a day after falling over, 200 feet (60 metres) down a slope at Second: Peak, despite assistance at the accident scene®’ from bystanders, paramedics and NSR voiun teers. This past April, another. hiker had -a; lucky escape on Seymour after falling 460 fee (140 metres) from First Peak before colliding with a clump of trees.: Jones said that people should not travel in snowy back country area unless they are carrying an ice axe.and have: mountaincering skills. . a