Runaway bus smashes into Salvation Army store in New Westminster
Last Updated: Wednesday, December 10, 2008 | 11:39 AM PT
CBC News
A Coast Mountain bus crashed through the front windows of the New Westminster Salvation Army Thrift Store early Wednesday. (The Salvation Army) The latest blow to the Vancouver-area Salvation Army has been delivered by a runaway bus that slammed into the side of a thrift store in New Westminster, B.C., just before 1 a.m. Wednesday.
Police say the transit driver had set the brakes and parked the bus near the New Westminster SkyTrain station, but it began to roll, smashing into several poles and signs as it rolled down the hill.
The driver spotted the rolling bus and began chasing it, but was unable to stop it before it crashed through the front windows of the thrift store and embedded itself three-quarters of the way into the building at 774 Columbia St.
The bus was empty and no one on the street or in the store was hurt, but damage to the building was estimated at $100,000.
The crash is the second blow to the Salvation Army's Metro Vancouver operations this month.
On Dec. 3, thieves broke into a Salvation Army warehouse in East Vancouver and stole about $25,000 worth of Christmas gifts and food.
Police eventually recovered some of those goods, and a fundraising drive brought in tens of thousands of dollars for the charitable organization.
Share Tools
Latest British Columbia News Headlines
- Ryder Hesjedal wins prestigious Giro d'Italia
- Victoria native Ryder Hesjedal has become the first Canadian to win one of the cycling world's three Grand Tour events, wrapping up the 2012 Giro d'Italia with an excellent performance in the final stage in Milan. more »
- Surrey RCMP seek hit-run driver
- Police are looking for a light-coloured Chrysler with damage to the driver's front side after a pedestrian was hit in Surrey, B.C., early Sunday morning. more »
- B.C. man who scaled Everest returns home
- A Vancouver man who climbed the world's highest mountain is back home and talking about the adventure. more »
- Fort Langley restaurant damaged in fire
- A sushi restaurant in Fort Langley, B.C., was damaged in a fire early Sunday morning. more »
Top News Headlines
- Canadian Pacific strikers face back-to-work legislation
- Labour Minister Lisa Raitt is prepared to end the Canadian Pacific Railway strike if necessary, after both CP and the union rejected a proposal for voluntary arbitration by the government-appointed negotiator on Sunday. Raitt says she is "extremely disappointed." more »
- Syrian regime denies role in Houla massacre
- The UN Security Council condemned the Syrian regime at an emergency meeting Sunday, holding president Bashar al-Assad's military responsible for the massacre of more than 100 people, dozens of whom were children younger than 10 years old. more »
- Ryder Hesjedal wins prestigious Giro d'Italia
- Victoria native Ryder Hesjedal has become the first Canadian to win one of the cycling world's three Grand Tour events, wrapping up the 2012 Giro d'Italia with an excellent performance in the final stage in Milan. more »
- Neighbour may have helped find missing kids in Mexico
- Two Winnipeg children who had been missing for nearly four years were found in Mexico after a man raised concerns about his neighbour, according to a private investigator. more »
- B.C. NDP calls for unity in fighting coast guard closure
- Surrey RCMP seek hit-run driver
- B.C. man who scaled Everest returns home
- Fort Langley restaurant damaged in fire
- Passengers' families sue for fatal B.C. plane crash
- B.C. Coast Guard Auxiliary gets new name
- Tsunami motorcycle heading to Harley museum
- Psych ward escapes worry neighbours
- Gang forum honours Surrey 6 victim
