A vehicle drove off an overhead ramp at BC Ferries’ Tsawwassen terminal on Tuesday afternoon.
The incident happened at around 12:30 p.m., as the Coastal Renaissance vessel was completing its routine discharge at the Tsawwassen terminal. The vessel had recently arrived from Duke Point.
According to Deborah Marshall, spokesperson for BC Ferries, the last vehicle to be uploaded from the ship’s upper vehicle deck drove off the ship and accelerated rapidly before smashing through a concrete wall.
“The vehicle fell approximately 30 feet to the lower holding compound of the terminal, landing on its roof,” Marshall said in a statement to CHEK News.
Emergency responders attended the scene while the vehicle’s lone occupant was loaded onto a stretcher and taken to hospital for assessment. B.C. Emergency Health Services told CBC News that the person is in critical condition.
Marshall, meanwhile, said the driver of the vehicle was conscious at the scene.
No injuries to other passengers or crew were reported and the incident is currently under investigation, according to BC Ferries.
Meanwhile, the Coastal Renaissance moved over to another berth at the terminal and resumed operation. This ship is running approximately one hour behind schedule.
BC Ferries first tweeted about the incident at 1:49 p.m., calling it a “medical emergency which required immediate attention.”
In response to that tweet, one social media user posted a photo of the medical emergency, showing a vehicle upside down, underneath the overhead ramp at the terminal located in Delta.
The image, posted on Twitter by Chrissy A, shows debris from the upper deck barrier, which is roughly 30 ft. off the ground.
#ServiceNotice #Tsawwassen – #DukePoint #CoastalRenaissance is currently operating 57 minutes behind schedule due to a medical emergency which required immediate attention. More details here: https://t.co/IuLT7UhgZM ^ta
— BC Ferries | Travel safe. Wear a mask. (@BCFerries) December 1, 2020
They mean a Vehicle drove off the overhead ramp pic.twitter.com/3HIkuMlpu7
— Chrissy A (@Chrissybabe1973) December 1, 2020
This is a developing story and will be updated once more information is learned.
Graham Cox
