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Sunday proved tricky for Alberni Valley motorists

Members of the Port Alberni RCMP were kept busy this past Sunday with several motor vehicle accidents.
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Members of the Port Alberni RCMP were kept busy this past Sunday with several vehicle crashes.

At 7:45 a.m., members responded to a collision on Highway 4, two km west of Cathedral Grove. A Dodge Ram pickup truck was eastbound along Highway 4 when it lost control upon hitting a patch of ice, causing the truck to skid sideways. The pickup slid off the road to the left and struck a tree, leaving it blocking the westbound lane.

The vehicle was carrying a load of live crab destined for Vancouver which spilled over onto the roadway. The pickup truck and its cargo were both destroyed in the collision.

The 51-year-old Vancouver driver was transported to the local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

At 1:10 p.m., members responded to a two-vehicle collision on Highway 4 at Old Nanaimo Highway in front of Coombs Country Candy. An eastbound Dodge Ram 3500 pickup truck pulling a horse trailer had rear ended a Dodge Caravan.

The collision resulted when a Nissan Sentra, a rental vehicle driven by a 54-year-old woman from Winnipeg, stopped in the eastbound lane attempting to make a left turn over the double solid line onto Old Nanaimo Highway. The driver of the minivan had come to a stop behind the Sentra. Just after the Sentra turned left, the minivan was struck from behind by the pickup truck.

The 49-year-old driver and the 59-year-old passenger of the minivan were transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The horses were unharmed.

The driver of the Sentra was issued a violation ticket for crossing the double solid line.

At 6:42 PM, members were dispatched to a report of a collision on Pacific Rim Highway 4 at Sutton Pass.

BC Ambulance reported that one of their crews had come across an overturned vehicle east of Sutton Pass. Both occupants of the GMC pickup truck had managed to get out of the overturned vehicle and were treated by paramedics on-scene.

The driver of the pickup was eastbound returning to Port Alberni. As the pickup travelled through the winding curves in the roadway it struck a patch of ice, causing him to lose control. The vehicle spun around backward, struck the snow-filled ditch and flipped over, landing on its roof.

BC Ambulance transported the 27-year-old driver and his 36-year-old passenger to hospital for precautionary reasons.