An air ambulance was called in and southbound traffic delayed on Monday afternoon (Aug. 17), after a single-vehicle rollover incident on Highway 19 near the Parksville/Errington exit.
OPEN - #BCHwy19 - Vehicle incident southbound between Church Rd and Parksville Exit. The left lane is open & the right lane is blocked. Please drive with care and watch for crews. Next update 6:45 PM. More info here: https://t.co/dqmcmqFHTx#ParksvilleBC #QualicumBeach #CoombsBC pic.twitter.com/uuev90AXed
— DriveBC (@DriveBC) August 18, 2020
Oceanside RCMP Cpl. Jesse Foreman said that at 3:08 p.m., the mishap took place in the southbound lanes of the Inland Island Highway, south of the Coastal Fire Station.
A 2000 Toyota Rav 4 abruptly left the roadway to the right and rolled. The 75-year-old driver and lone occupant was found in the ditch in his upside-down vehicle. Fire worked quickly to extract the Fanny Bay resident, who was airlifted to Vancouver General Hospital with serious injuries. The investigation continues as to whether the cause of the crash was health- or vehicle-related, said Foreman.
Marc Norris, fire chief for Parksville and Qualicum Beach, said their personnel were on-scene and performed a rescue extrication, alongside Errington Volunteer Fire Department crews.
• Also Monday, just before noon, there was a multiple-vehicle collision at the Qualicum Beach Memorial Ave roundabout. RCMP said a motorcycle being operated by a 63-year-old man from Ontario was involved in a collision with a Volkswagen van operated by a 69-year-old man from Nelson. The motorcycle operator was thrown from his bike and struck a sign post.
He was taken to hospital and has significant injuries. Police said the driver of the van was issued a violation ticket for failing to yield.
— NEWS Staff