Members of the Canadian Cancer Society Tour de Rock 2015 police motorcycle escort team were flagged down by several people who reported a single vehicle collision on the Salmon River Main Line near Sayward shortly after 5:30 p.m. yesterday.
The escort riders, a police officer from the Capital Regional District Integrated Road Safety Unit (CRD IRSU) and one from the RCMP Central Island Traffic Services Unit, were travelling on Sayward Road, heading to refuel their motorbikes.
The escort riders responded to the crash scene along with the Tour de Rock medical team, where they located a Ford F-450 flat deck truck in the ditch. The lone occupant, a 36 year old man from Sayward, was located outside of the vehicle with critical injuries. Preliminary indications suggest he was ejected from the vehicle during the crash.
BC Ambulance Service Paramedics attended and transported the man to the Campbell River Hospital, where he was later moved by Air Ambulance to a Victoria area hospital. He remains hospitalized at this time, in critical condition.
An RCMP Collision Analyst/Re-constructionist attended the scene, and completed a thorough investigation focussed on determining the cause of this crash. Preliminary findings indicate driver error may have precipitated this single vehicle crash. Additional factors will be examined as this investigation continues.
The man's next of kin were notified of this crash by local Sayward RCMP officers, and have travelled to Victoria to be with their loved one.
The Sayward RCMP expressed appreciation for the assistance of those first on scene, as well as the Tour de Rock Support Crew, for offering immediate care to the victim of this crash.