A motorcyclist was taken to hospital Monday evening following a collision with a car on Highway 19A in Parksville.
Both vehicles were in a line of traffic southbound on the highway near Martindale Road shortly after 5 p.m. April 24. As the traffic approached a marked crossing zone at Martindale, a bicyclist activated the flashing crossing lights, said Patti Rogers of Parksville, who was driving directly in front of the Honda motorcycle.
They were part of a line of vehicles in the left southbound lane forced to stop, but a BMW 335i coupe trailing the motorcycle ran into the bike. The rider was throw to the road, and the impact left the motorcycle upright, with the car’s bumper wedged firmly between the cycle’s rear wheel and its frame.
Rogers said she saw the collision coming and attempted to ease her car forward to avoid being struck by the cycle.
“The car in front of me stopped, and I stopped, and I looked back because I knew the bike was behind me,” said Rogers. “I could tell the BMW wasn’t going to stop in time.”
She said there was a screech of tires as the BMW belatedly tried to brake before striking the bike.
BC Ambulance paramedics and Parksville Fire Rescue were first on the scene. The motorcycle driver was treated at the scene and loaded into an ambulance for transport to hospital. Another witness said the man helped himself onto the gurney, and Rogers believed the victim’s injuries were not serious.
“He seems to be OK,” she said of the driver, who remained concious and engaged with witnesses and first responders. “His biggest concern was that it was a brand-new bike. He wasn’t very happy about that.”
The incident occurred just before the two southbound lanes of Highway 19A merge into a single lane to cross the Orange Bridge. Traffic continued to flow southbound in the right lane, though some motorist experienced brief delays as it occasionally backed up.
Rogers said she was on her way to Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park for a play date with her two dogs when the collision occurred. That outing was delayed as she pulled into an ajacent parking lot to await the arrival of police and to provide a witness statement.
She said she was glad the motorcyclist did not appear seriously injured, but said the collision struck home on a personal level.
“My husband rides a bike,” Rogers said. “It’s always a worry.”
Traffic still moving along Highway 19A #parksville pic.twitter.com/sq2i31jdhk
— PQB News (@ParksvilleNews) April 25, 2017