The driver who struck and killed an Oak Bay municipal employee while he was working just off Monterey Avenue last May will not face charges, Oak Bay police say.
Steve Seekins was hit on May 17, 2023, around 8 a.m. while inspecting a manhole cover in Bowker Creek Park. The driver of a black SUV heading north on Monterey Avenue left the roadway and crashed into him, and then a tree.
The 52-year-old father of two young children died at the scene.
The Oak Bay and Saanich police departments investigated, and in January forwarded a report to the B.C. Prosecution Service, police said in a statement Thursday.
After reviewing the report, including medical evidence indicating the woman had suffered a medical episode at the time of the crash, the prosecution service determined that the standard for approving charges had not been met, police said.
The driver, a 66-year-old Victoria woman, has not been publicly named.
Police had received reports of erratic driving on Monterey Avenue at the time of the crash, and asked witnesses to come forward. The SUV was reported to be travelling at high speed and weaving into oncoming traffic, nearly hitting a child on a bicycle.
“Our thoughts are with Mr. Seekins’ wife, their two young children and extended family,” the Oak Bay Police Department said.
Oak Bay police will continue supporting Seekins’ family, district staff, first responders and community members “who have been deeply impacted by this tragic event,” the department said.
Seekins, described in his obituary as a “loving and devoted husband and dad,” had started working for the District of Oak Bay just a few months before his death, after moving with his family from Alberta in 2021.
