The passenger in a fatal crash in Nanoose Bay on Friday remains in critical but stable condition, according to a recent update from the RCMP’s Central Island Traffic Services.
A man and a woman were harvesting shellfish at Nanoose flats, at the tidal pool, according to traffic services. The woman was injured and her husband was killed when he made a U-turn on the highway and their car was hit by a tandem axle truck. They were thrown across, the man died instantly and the woman was airlifted by helicopter to Victoria.
Andy Watson, B.C. Coroners Service spokesman, confirmed the deceased was a man in his 70s from Nanaimo, but his identity has not been released.
The vehicle accident happened on Highway 19 at Hillview Road, according to RCMP Central Vancouver Island Traffic Services.
“I contacted the hospital about the wife of the deceased… she is still in critical, but stable condition,” said Sgt. Darrin Ramey of RCMP Central Island Traffic Services on Monday afternoon.
Ramey said witnesses told police the man pulled out from the shoulder of the highway in front of the truck.
“There’s not much more to it,” Ramey said. “We don’t believe that drugs were involved or alcohol or he was on his cell phone or anything like that. He just probably didn’t look or if he looked he didn’t see because, indeed, there was a large tractor-trailer coming down upon him.”
This is the second fatality in a month in the Nanoose corridor, which traffic services has said is a high-risk driving area.
— Black Press