Vancouver police probe fatal fall from party bus

Police have identified thewoman whodiedafter shefell from a moving party bus in downtown Vancouver onSaturday night as Chelsea Lynn Mist James, 23, of Langley.

According to astatement,police say James fell from an open door while the vehicle was making a southbound turn onto BurrardStreet from West Hastings Street. The bus thenstruck her.

Passengers alerted the driver, who immediately stopped the vehicle. Paramedics tried to revive Jamesbut she was pronounced dead at the scene.

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Police said about 24 people were in the bus, celebrating a birthday.

The driver is co-operating with police while the company, Silver Lady Limousine Service Ltd.said in a release that it"iscommitted to working with authorities in their ongoing investigation to determine the facts and to find out what happened."

Police have not said if alcohol was a factor in Saturday's fatal accident, but party buses have beendescribed as nightclubs on wheels that provideteenagersaccess to alcohol and drugs.

Painful memories

The accident revived painful memories for Danielle Raymond, of Maple Ridge, B.C.,whose sister Shannon, 16, died in 2008 after she consumed drugs on a party bus.

Raymond and her mother have lobbied for tougher regulations for the industry, including mandatory chaperones for vehicles carrying underage passengers and more inspections.

"A lot of these buses are old transit vehicles," Raymond said, adding they're not "meant to be shuttling around intoxicated people."

Last year, the province tightened industry rules, requiringstretch limousines to get special licence plates to make the enforcement of regulations easier.

As of December, 2015, 79 operators with 171 vehicles have been approved for the new licence according to B.C.'s Ministry of Transportation.

The fine for operating without a licence or advertising an unlicensed service is $1,150. Fines can go as high as $5,000 for repeat offences.

In a statement, the ministrysaid it will work with police and the BC Coroners Service to investigate "this tragedy," also stating that the Liquor Control and Licensing Act prohibits open liquor in a motor vehicle.

It is also against the law to consume alcohol in an unlicensed public place, including inside a vehicle.

The Vancouver police's collision investigation unit is probing Saturday's incident, according to a statement from VPD.

Burnaby's Silver Lady, which has been in business for 25 years, also said in its statement from president and ownerDouglas LeMoinethat, "we wish to express our deepest sympathies to the loved ones of the young woman who passed away in an accident involving one of our limousines."