One woman is dead and a man is seriously injured following a collision on a Vancouver Island highway over the weekend.
Police say the fatal crash happened on Island Highway West (Hwy 19A) near Mistaken Road in Qualicum Beach around 7:30 pm Saturday.
According to the BC Highway Patrol (BCHP), a Harley Davidson motorcycle with custom skull-and-smoke paint collided with a white, early-model Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck.
Although the pickup driver, a 54-year-old Qualicum Beach man, escaped unharmed, the two people on the Harley were not so lucky.
The BCHP said the 44-year-old Cowichan Bay man driving the motorcycle was hospitalized with “very serious injuries” and his passenger, a 37-year-old Port Alberni woman, was killed.
“The minutes and hours leading up to this collision could provide important evidence,” noted Cpl. Michael McLaughlin through a media release. “If you saw the motorcycle rider or pickup driver’s behaviour, please talk to police.”
McLaughlin also urged people not to speculate about who or what caused this fatal crash.
“Nothing has been ruled out,” he added.
Anyone who witnessed the collision or something leading up to it, or those with relevant dash cam or security footage from the area, is urged to contact BCHP Parksville at 250-954-2953.
