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Saanichton woman had died before being struck by vehicle

47-year-old woman died of heart failure first, according to B.C. Coroner's Service.

CENTRAL SAANICH — A woman who died after being struck by a vehicle on Mount Newton Cross Road earlier this year, actually died before the incident.

B.C. Coroner Barb McLintock stated in a release this week that 47-year-old Suzanne Cameron Gillespie of Saanichton, died from a sudden cardiac event.

“Post-mortem testing showed unequivocally that she suffered a sudden cardiac event as a result of severe heart disease, prior to sustaining the injuries ... in the motor vehicle incident.”

Gillespie was struck by a vehicle during the evening of Feb. 12. She had been lying in the road, around the 2300-block of Mount Newton Cross Road.

Central Saanich Deputy Chief Derren Lench said at the time the woman lived in the area and may have been out walking after visiting another resident in the area. She was declared dead after arriving at the Saanich Peninsula Hospital.

Lench had noted police wanted to determine whether the woman was standing, sitting or kneeling when she was struck. Lench, who was at the scene, said the man behind the wheel of the SUV was an experienced driver. There was no evidence of impairment or speeding and the driver was not charged with anything.

Police shut down the road for about three hours to collect evidence and said at the time they expected a report on the incident to take several weeks.

Investigation by the Central Saanich Police Service, Saanich Police and B.C. Coroner’s Service determined she had died before the SUV struck her.

— PNR staff with files from the B.C. Coroner’s Service