The driver of a lifted blue pickup truck faces a single charge of dangerous driving after a woman was killed in the Wal-Mart parking lot in north Nanaimo in March 2024. (File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW staff

charges laid

Driver charged following death of pedestrian at Walmart parking lot

Feb 11, 2025 | 12:46 PM

NANAIMO — A charge has been approved following the death of an elderly woman at a north Nanaimo parking lot.

Jazmin Faye Patenaude, 24, is charged with dangerous driving causing death in connection to an incident on March 21, 2024 at the Woodgrove Centre Walmart parking lot.

The incident resulted in the death of an 85-year-old woman.

According to a news release from Nanaimo RCMP, the victim parked her vehicle beside the truck of the accused and began walking towards the mall.

Investigators closed the section of the parking lot for several hours after the incident. (File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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Patenaude then allegedly left her parking stall, turned and hit the woman, knocking her to the ground, according to police.

Nanaimo RCMP alleged modifications to the truck, including suspension lifts, oversized tires, and tinted windows, made driving in the crowded parking lot unsafe.

“These modifications, which were not part of the original design of the truck, contributed to the tragic outcome,” the Nanaimo RCMP release stated.

The charge was officially laid on Tuesday, Feb. 4 by the B.C. Prosecution Service.

Patenaude’s first court appearance scheduled for mid-March at provincial court in Nanaimo.

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