A 40-year-old Cowichan Valley man is calling for justice after he was struck by a driver this past weekend south of Nanaimo, leaving him injured and his scooter badly damaged.
Troy Jardine was riding on Vowels road south of Nanaimo Friday night when a silver European SUV, driving at an excessive speed, ran him off the road.
“He came up beside me very close and the burst of air while buzzing by me forced my bike to the right,” said Jardine.
He ended up crashing into a ditch on the side of the road.
About 15 minutes later Jardine, along with two minors on dirt bikes, were on a gravel road near Timberlands road when he spotted the vehicle again.
“I cursed at him and asked him why he ran me off the road. He cursed back and said he only cut me off. Then he said he would exit his vehicle so I got off my scooter, took off my helmet,” said Jardine.
But Jardine says the driver then drove about 20 metres, did a U-turn and drove right at him. Suffering from a chronic back injury, Jardine wasn’t able to get out of the way in time.
“I realized he’s going to hit me and I braced myself. I tried to make my bottom half light and went for a ride and the boys said I flipped a couple of times in the air and I landed on my side,” said Jardine.
The SUV also ran over the scooter, which Jardine said was vintage and passed down from his father, before driving away. Meanwhile, the minors went and got help.
BC Ambulance took Jardine to the hospital for testing. He suffered skinned elbows, major bruising to several parts of his body, a swollen right knee and two ripped-off toenails.
Jardine says he would like to see justice with the driver being caught and charged.
“He tried to kill me. Maybe he wasn’t aware that I was disabled and couldn’t get out of the way. When you run over a person with a vehicle you’re intending to kill them.”
Police say they need help to identify both the driver and the vehicle that struck Jardine.
“Ongoing efforts are underway to identify the driver, and his passenger and locate the vehicle,” said Sgt. Chris Manseau with Island District RCMP.
The driver is described as white, 25 to 30 years old, with short hair and brown-coloured beard. The passenger is described as white with a slim build and buzz cut, RCMP said.
Police are asking anyone who may have been in the area and were a witness to this incident, or has dash-cam or other videos to contact Ladysmith RCMP at 250-245-2215 and cite file 2021-2968.
This past week a 36-year-old man was sentenced for a fatal hit and run in Parksville in 2019.
Kendall Hanson
