Alberta RCMP cleared in crash fatality

Source: Edmonton Journal

ALBERTA - A fatality inquiry report into the death of 21-year-old Sarah Jouppi has cleared the RCMP of any wrongdoing in a fiery 2005 crash that led to Jouppi 's death.

Jouppi was a passenger in a stolen car that caught the eye of an RCMP officer near Vegreville on Oct. 10, 2005. When the driver of the stolen car saw the RCMP cruiser, he took off, starting a chase that reached speeds of up to 160 kilometres per hour, according to the report.

The officer who was chasing the car eventually was blocked by a train crossing the highway, at which point he considered the pursuit over, though he did not radio that in.

He caught sight of the stolen car again, this time driving eastbound in the westbound highway lanes about 1.5 kilometres away.

A short time later, the officer came across a car on fire on the highway. The officer dragged the driver out of the flaming car.

The stolen vehicle was found in a ditch more than 100 metres away. One man had already crawled out of the wreck and another was struggling to free himself. Jouppi was dead in the passenger seat.

The driver, Joseph Edward Openshaw, was later convicted of several crimes, for which he was sentenced to 16 years in jail.

In the fatality inquiry report released Wednesday, a judge ruled the RCMP followed the proper pursuit protocol and the Jouppi's death was caused by Openshaw.

The judge also commended the officer for saving a victim from the burning car.