The Ucluelet Volunteer Fire Brigade needed the Jaws of Life to remove a Tofino woman from her vehicle after a significant single vehicle collision.
The woman had been driving along the Pacific Rim Highway, on July 20 around 3:30 p.m., when she lost control and crashed into a tree near Wick Road, according to Sgt. Jeff Swann of the Ucluelet RCMP.
The woman was trapped inside her vehicle when emergency crews arrived but the fire brigade was able to free her using their Jaws of Life tool and BC Ambulance personnel transported her to the hospital.
Swann said the truck was damaged beyond repair and the woman suffered several injuries in the crash including a broken leg and broken ankle.
“With the amount of damage caused to that truck, which was a big GMC pick-up, the driver is extremely lucky that nothing further was caused,” he said.
“She’s extremely lucky, and we’re thankful to have the emergency response teams that attended. They did their jobs diligently and quickly to extricate her from the vehicle and get her to the medical care that she needed.”
Swann said police are speaking with witnesses in an attempt to figure out what caused the vehicle to veer off the road so violently.
“No other vehicles were involved...The roads were dry, visibility was clear, and alcohol was not involved,” he said.
“The investigation is still ongoing to determine the cause of the accident.”
Driver crashes during pass attempt
A Ucluelet man lost control of his vehicle and wound up crashing into a ditch while trying to pass a slower-moving vehicle on the Pacific Rim Highway.
The collision occurred near Lost Shoe Campground around 4:30 p.m. on July 20, according to Sgt. Swann.
“(He) pulled out to pass another car and was going too fast when he started his pass. He got into the gravel and that was the end of the pass,” Swann said. “He ended up going into the ditch.”
The man escaped the wreck with no serious injuries but was taken to Tofino General Hospital as a precaution due to the significant amount of damage done to his vehicle, according to Swann who said the driver was issued a ticket for failing to complete a pass safely.
Drivers are reminded that they cannot exceed the speed limit, even when passing slow-moving vehicles.
“If you’re following a motorhome that’s going 80 (km/h) in an 80 zone and then it gets onto those hills and goes 60 (km/h) you just have to be patient,” Swann said. “If it goes onto a straight stretch and is going 80 km/h again, you can’t pass.”
Slow drivers are reminded that they must either pick up the pace or pull over when other vehicles start piling up behind them and Swann noted additional signage has been installed along the highway to advise slow traffic to let commuters pass.
“With the new legislations, and the new signs up, it’s incumbent upon the motorhomes to pull over and let you pass,” he said.
Bicycle stolen
A mountain bike was stolen from outside a Ucluelet home.
The theft was reported around 3 p.m. on July 19 and is believed to have occurred overnight, according to Sgt. Swann.
Swann said the bicycle is pink and white with a red light on the back and a white light on the front and that it was snatched from outside an Imperial Lane residence.
Anyone who spots a bike matching this description, or has any information about the incident, is encouraged to contact the Ucluelet RCMP detachment at 250-726-7773.
With summer’s busy season swinging, West Coasters are reminded to be wary and lock up.
“It’s no coincidence that when we start to get busier in the summer with a large influx of new people traveling to the West Coast, starting in May and ending in September our shoplifting calls go up: our calls for service for liquor offences, thefts from motor vehicles, thefts of bicycles, they all go up,” Swann said.
“It’s an unfortunate part of welcoming nearly a million visitors to the West Coast, there are going to be a small, small, percentage of people that we don’t necessarily want to welcome to the West Coast.”
Andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca