Two cyclists and a pedestrian were struck July 9 (Saturday) near Vancouver Island MusicFest - two of whom were performers set to take the stage at the music festival the following day.
At 10:38 p.m., Comox Valley RCMP responded to a 911 call for the incident. The driver failed to remain at the scene and fled in the vehicle. The three injured people were on Headquarters Road near the entrance to the Comox Valley Exhibition Grounds when they were hit by a blue and white truck.
Emergency responders including police, fire and ambulance attended.
While at the collision scene, a second call was received of a vehicle in the ditch a short distance away on Headquarters Road at Bridges Road. Police attended that scene and determined it was the same vehicle from the first collision.
A 53-year-old female driver was identified walking away from the vehicle. The driver displayed signs of impairment by alcohol. She was arrested for impaired operation of a motor vehicle and failing to remain at the scene of an accident.
One of the cyclists was transported to hospital and subsequently airlifted to another hospital for serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The other two victims were treated at the scene and subsequently released.
According to posts on social media, two people involved in the incident were members of the band The Show Goats. The remaining trio — at the request of the two injured bandmates — took to the stage on July 10 for an afternoon concert at the festival.
Donations for the band members were being raised throughout their concert bowl performance with buckets being passed around throughout the crowd.
The police investigation is continuing. Anyone who may have witnessed the incident or may have dashcam footage is asked to contact the Comox Valley RCMP at (250) 338-1321.
- Files from Comox Valley RCMP