Police watchdog investigating after woman dies in ATV crash near Terrace

B.C.'s police watchdog is investigating after a woman died and two others were hurt in an ATV crash following an encounter with RCMP on Sunday.

RCMP officers were patrolling West Kalum Forest Service Road near Terrace, B.C., around 6 p.m. when they saw an ATV "speeding south," according to a statement. Three people — two men and a woman — were riding the ATV without helmets, police said.

Officers tried to stop the driver but said they drove around police and continued down the road.

Within 15 minutes, paramedics and police were called to respond to a crash near Hart Farm on the same forest service road. Police believe it was the same ATV officers had tried to stop.

Two men were hospitalized with serious injuries, while police said the woman succumbed to life-threatening injuries Wednesday evening.

RCMP believe alcohol and speed were factors, the statement said. The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. (IIOBC) is investigating whether the initial interaction with police contributed to the crash.