'Cash Cab' taxi hits, kills Vancouver pedestrian

[July 18, 2011]  VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -- A replica taxi used in the Canadian version of the TV game show "Cash Cab" struck and killed a pedestrian after finishing production for the day in Vancouver.

Vancouver Police said a 61-year-old man from Surrey, B.C., died in a hospital shortly after being struck by the mock yellow cab late Friday night in the city's Downtown Eastside district. Police did not immediately release the victim's identity.

The accident happened as a producer was driving the replica cab back to a storage facility after filming for the day had been completed, said Andrew Burnstein, president of Castlewood Productions Inc., which produces the show's Canadian version.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim and his friends and his family." said Burnstein. "My heart also goes out to the driver of the vehicle, a member of our technical staff, who is shaken and devastated by this tragic accident, as is our entire team."

Vancouver Police Constable Lindsey Houghton said the circumstances leading to the accident were still being determined and no charges have been filed so far.

On "Cash Cab," broadcast in North America on the Discovery Channel, unassuming people who flag down a replica yellow taxi become instant contestants on a game show, answering trivia questions for cash prizes.

"Cash Cab" originated in Britain in 2005 and has since been licensed to television networks in more than two dozen countries. The Canadian version, hosted by comedian Adam Growe, a licensed taxi driver, has been broadcast by Discovery Channel Canada since 2008.

The U.S. version, now filmed in New York and Chicago, has been broadcast on the Discovery Channel since 2005.

[Associated Press]

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