A 27-year-old man from Coombs is dead following a single-vehicle accident Sunday morning on the Alberni Highway near the Inland Highway overpass.
Shortly after 4 a.m. on January 29, the B.C. Ambulance Service, volunteer firefighters and the Oceanside RCMP were called to a single vehicle collision on the Alberni Highway near exit 51. The vehicle, a 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe, was being driven towards Parksville, when just past the merge lane to enter Highway 19, the driver lost control and went off the road right before colliding with a utility pole.
Police said the vehicle was found in several pieces and the driver and lone occupant was found deceased. An RCMP collision analyst attended the crash location to investigate further. Police said speed did appear to be a factor in this collision.
Police also said the name of the deceased will not be released by the RCMP as the B.C. Coroners Service attended the collision.
The death follows that of a mid-Island woman whose car was struck head-on by a truck Jan. 17 on the same highway about two kilomteres from the tragedy on Sunday morning. The coroner’s service said Monday it is not officially releasing names of the victims from either incident.
— NEWS Staff/RCMP news release