Family, friend of woman killed in car accident in Dawson City last year say they want answers

The trial for a man who was in the driver's seat the night of a fatal crash in Dawson City,Yukon  wrapped up last week in Dawson..

Erich Rauguth is charged with refusing to provide a breath sample.

On the morning of Oct. 29, 2023, RCMP responded to a single-vehicle accident on Dome Road, at the Moose Mountain ski hill. According to police, two people were in the vehicle at the time of the accident.

The driver, who was identified as Erich Rauguth, and his passenger Samanroop Bisla were leaving a party at the ski hill when the vehicle struck a large steel gate. The gate pierced the passenger's side of the car, killing Bisla.

Rauguth was originally charged with impaired driving causing death, on top of refusing to provide a breath sample. However, in September of this year, the Crown dropped the impaired driving charge.

This has some of Bisla's friends and family extremely frustrated and demanding an explanation.

"We still don't have the basic answers of what happened and how this went about and why is it such a serious charge was dropped," said Bisla's best friend, Garima Aubi. "We're still trying to put the pieces together."

Aubi and Bisla's twin sister Manroop attended the trial from Toronto.

Aubi and Manroop Bisla said up until they heard witness testimony, they hadn't heard any information about what happened to Bisla the morning she was killed.

"We have repeatedly requested a call from the prosecutors office, and they keep saying, 'We'll contact you after the case is over,'" Aubi said. "What is that going to do?"

Aubi said it wasn't only the information shared from witnesses who took the stand that had Bisla's family uneasy — but also what information didn't come out in court at all.

Aubi said when members of Bisla's family visited Dawson City last year for Samanroop's celebration of life, there were numerous people who came forward to give condolences but also to provide information on what may have happened during the hours leading up to her death.

Aubi said she didn't see any of those people called to the stand during the trial.

Now, Bisla's family is grappling with the possibility that Rauguth's current charge could be dropped after his lawyer argued that responding RCMP officers did not follow proper protocol when first engaging with Rauguth and ultimately infringed on his rights.

During the trial, the officer who put Rauguth into the back of her police cruiser testified she had done so, not because he was under arrest but because it was below freezing outside at the time, she said, and Rauguth was not wearing suitable clothing.

Rauguth's lawyer suggests that the officer illegally detained Rauguth and says if he was not under arrest, he should not have been placed in the back of the officer's car.

Aubi and Manroop Bisla said the possibility of the case being thrown out has them worried justice won't be served for Bisla's death.