A worker looks on as a police officer investigates a collapsed construction crane resting on the building it damaged in Kelowna, B.C., Monday, July 12, 2021. Mounties say they have asked prosecutors to consider charges in the collapse of the crane that killed five people. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Alistair Waters
KELOWNA, B.C. – Mounties say they have asked prosecutors to consider charges in the collapse of a construction crane that killed five people in Kelowna, B.C., in June 2021.
Police say a report has been submitted to the BC Prosecution Service for charge assessment of criminal negligence causing death.
The crane was being dismantled when it fell, killing four men on the site and a fifth man in a neighbouring building.
Construction workers Cailen Vilness, Jared Zook, and brothers Patrick and Eric Stemmer died at the scene, and Brad Zawislak was killed while working in a nearby office when part of the crane crashed into the building.
Mounties say the investigation was extremely complex and needed to be done methodically and thoroughly in order to protect the integrity of the case.
Kelowna RCMP Supt. Kara Triance says the investigation included dozens of police officers and countless hours of evidence gathering and analysis.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 20, 2024.
