“They were lucky to be alive,” said Malahat fire chief Rob Patterson, describing three young men who were involved in a rollover when a vehicle hit a ditch and flipped over on the Malahat at 8 a.m. Saturday morning.
It all happened near the South Shawnigan Lake Road turnoff, he said.
The men were able to walk away but the car was badly damaged. No other vehicles were involved.
“It was a high rate of speed and no skills,” Patterson said. “It was just the one pilot failed to navigate.”
The fire department got there moments after it happened. Two ambulances were called to the scene and took the men to Victoria.
“Everybody was transported to hospital to get checked out,” he said. “They’re lucky to be alive.”
Two of the young men got out of the car with the assistance of the public and there was a third man that needed help from the firefighters.
The southbound lanes of the highway were shut down for about 90 minutes, slowing traffic to a standstill before conditions normalized.