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Island fire department responds to three vehicle incidents under an hour

Courtenay incidents include a possible hit-and-run, rear-ender and vehicle driving into kayak shop
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Emergency crews respond to an accident scene at Comox Valley Kayaks & Canoes after a vehicle went off the road and ran into the Cliffe Avenue business. Photo supplied, Courtenay Fire Department

As of Monday morning, the message on the machine at Comox Valley Kayaks & Canoes says the business will be closed for a few days.

The reason is a vehicle crashed into the business at 2020 Cliffe Ave. on Sunday. It was the third accident in just under an hour to which the Courtenay Fire Department had to respond on a busy afternoon.

The first call came in at 3:34 p.m. when a vehicle hit a pedestrian at Cruikshank Avenue and Muir Road. There may have been some kind of dispute between the parties, with the driver running over another person. The case is being treated as a hit-and-run. The Comox Valley Record has contacted the RCMP for more information about the vehicle.

“The patient was banged up,” says Capt. Jonathan Welsh of the Courtenay Fire Department. “While we were dealing with that, the second accident came in.”

This one was a rear-end collision at 1978 Cliffe Ave. at 3:51 p.m. BC Ambulance Service also attended the scene to treat two patients.

“We cleared that scene and just got back to quarters,” Welsh said. “We get a call for an MVI at Cliffe and 21st.”

The third call came in at 4:33 p.m. at almost the exact location of the previous accident. Welsh says there was some thought it might be a duplicate call but they learned it involved a building.

The department does not have more information, other than the accident might have been related to a possible medical emergency. Welsh adds the driver had an apparent wrist injury.

“It was quite traumatic because there was a lot of debris inside the vehicle,” he says.

The department left a crew behind to handle any possible fire activity or potential for the building to collapse while the vehicle was being removed from the structure.

READ MORE: RCMP involved in crash south of Courtenay Saturday night



mike.chouinard@comoxvalleyrecord.com

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