The driver of a Toyota pickup truck involved in an accident on Highway 19 at Campbell River’s Jubilee Parkway intersection Monday morning has been arrested by police.
“At approximately 5:40 this morning we received a call of two-vehicle collision on the Inland Island Highway at Jubilee Parkway,” Const. Dave Dormuth of the RCMP’s North Vancouver Island traffic Services said. “First members that arrived on scene noticed that there was only one vehicle on scene.”
A Volkswagen compact car had come to rest on its roof in the ditch approximately 50 metres north of the Highway 19 and Jubilee Parkway intersection after rolling several times. Unfortunately, the driver succumbed to his injuries.
The driver of the Toyota called the RCMP who met her to take her into custody.
She was arrested and charged with numerous offences.
“What we’ve been able to piece together, so far, that this vehicle behind me, the Volkswagen, was northbound on the Inland Island Highway and a Toyota pickup has left the scene unfortunately,” Const. Dormuth said at the accident scene Monday morning, prior to her call.
Police didn’t know at the time whether that vehicle, which was southbound, made a left turn onto Jubilee Parkway or came east from the Campbell River airport through the intersection.
“Either way, it impacted the Volkswagen behind me directly on the driver’s side causing that vehicle to lose control and roll several times,” Const. Dormuth.
The driver of the Volkswagen was its only occupant and was taken to Campbell River Hospital with the expectation he would be flown to Victoria.
A witness called the RCMP around 5:40 a.m. saying they had seen a vehicle further down Jubilee Parkway with severe damage. The witness then came upon the Volkswagen in the ditch immediately after that.
John Wall, his wife Kim and sister Tara Norris were the first people on the scene just after 5:30 a.m. They had seen the pickup truck on the side of the road earlier and Wall thought that vehicle had hit a deer. Wall then pulled up to the intersection and saw the Volkswagen on its roof.
“I ran to the car and was just about to yell asking if anyone was there and I heard the man yelling ‘help me,’” Wall told the Campbell River Mirror. “And when I got to the other side of the car, his hand was pinned under his sunroof and his leg was pinned under the car. His jacket was over his face. I removed it so I could see his face and told him help was on the way and he kept screaming ‘please help me. Get me out of here.’”
Another person stopped by and Wall’s wife called 911. He pulled the driver out of the car and he and the other witness helped push the car up so the driver could get his leg out.
They then waited for the ambulance to arrive.
The Highway 19 northbound lane was closed and traffic was diverted west along Jubilee to Highway 19A for more than an hour.
The lane was opened again by approximately 10:30 a.m.
