VANCOUVER Police are investigating an early morning collision that killed a cab driver and sent three others to hospital with injuries.

The collision occurred around 3:30 on Sunday morning at the intersection of 1st Avenue and Renfrew Street, when a car2go smart car collided with a Yellow Cab carrying two passengers. The force of the collision sent the taxi into the Royal Bank on the southeast corner, causing damage to the building.

VPD officers and paramedics from BC Ambulance Service arrived moments later and provided first aid. Both drivers were taken to hospital, where the 28-year-old male taxi driver was pronounced dead.

The driver was identified as Sanehpal Randhawa by Kulwant Sahota, President of Yellow Cab, who told the media that he had been working with the taxi company for the past three years. He had also been attending school. His father had recently visited him from India. He had just bought a new home in Surrey and had planned to move there in the New Year.

According to his Facebook, he studied at Robin Model School in Dhuri in Sangrur district of Punjab. He also studied at Sheridan College in Ontario.

The driver of the car2go – a man in his 20s – remains in hospital with serious injuries. Two passengers in the taxi were also taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

This is Vancouver’s 14th traffic-related fatality of 2019.

VPD’s Collision Investigation Unit is now collecting evidence, and believes speed and alcohol were factors. It appears the driver of the car2go may have t-boned the taxi after running a red light at 1st and Renfrew.

The Independent Investigations Office has been notified, as it’s believed the driver of the car2go may have evaded officers at a CounterAttack roadblock prior to the collision.

Anyone who witnessed the collision, or saw the vehicles driving prior to the crash, is asked to call the VPD Collision Investigation Unit at 604-717-3012.