A Ucluelet woman out for a walk was killed just before 8 a.m. Thursday when a driver lost control of a Suburban pulling a loaded boat trailer. The vehicle jack-knifed and the woman, who was walking on the trail beside the Pacific Rim Highway, died at the scene.
RCMP investigators and the BC Coroner and traffic analysts were on scene.
Alcohol was not a factor in the accident, said Sgt. Jeff Swann of the Ucluelet RCMP.
The road was clear at the time.
“Somehow the boat started fish-tailing coming down the hill and jack-knifed the truck,†Swann said.
The vehicle was travelling in the same direction she was walking, so the woman never knew what hit her.
“A witness that saw it said she didn’t look back, she didn’t see it happening,†Swann said.
“She had her bright yellow jacket on … She was just walking down the road, the vehicle lost control and ran into her. She was killed instantly,†said Swann.
The RCMP was on scene by around 8:05 a.m. and attempted CPR, but the woman, 78, could not be revived, Swann said.
The paved trail is separated from the roadway by four metres. The back end of the trailer came to rest in the trees.
The vehicle’s two occupants were coming from Vancouver to the West Coast to go clam fishing. They were not hurt in the accident, and stayed to offer help and were cooperating with the investigation, Swann said.
The woman’s identity was not being released at mid-day Thursday pending notification of further kin. Community members expressed shock and loss, as the woman is well-known and beloved in Ucluelet.
“To have this happen at this exact moment when she’s here (walking the trail), it’s beyond words ,†Swann said. “It’s beyond fathoming at this point, for all of us.â€
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