WATCH: Two people are in hospital, one with life-threatening injuries, after a vehicle went off the road in Saanich late Wednesday morning, drove over the sidewalk and hit a pedestrian.
A pedestrian was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries after a collision near the intersection of Gorge Road West and Donald Street in Saanich Wednesday morning.
Saanich police said just after 11:30 a.m., a 31-year-old man who was on the sidewalk was struck by a 2003 Chevrolet Suburban that was travelling east on Gorge Road West. Police said it appears the vehicle went off the road and mounted the sidewalk before the crash. The vehicle then continued into the park and came to a rest in the bushes.
The pedestrian was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries. The driver, who was a 25-year-old woman from Saanich, was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Police are investigating the cause of the crash. Saanich police officers, including the Saanich Police Crash Analyst Team, are still at the scene.
Saanich police are asking for witnesses to come forward. Anyone with information is asked to call Saanich police at 250-475-4321 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
“All of these investigations are evidenced-based, so really we’re asking for witnesses to come forward and we’re collecting all that information off the roadway now,” Saanich Police Sgt. Jereme Leslie said.
One woman, who lives across the street on Gorge Road, heard the crash.
Laurel Palou said she spoke with two BC Hydro workers who were driving behind the Suburban when it went off the road.
“They saw that the gentleman had a broken leg, one of those was sticking out. The only other thing they told me was they’re both breathing,” Palou said.
While police try to gather information, it is still too soon to determine whether any charges will be laid on the driver.
“Certainly we would entertain all of that information. We would look to see whether or not charges could possibly be appropriate and whether or not that would fall under the motor vehicle act or criminal code,” Sgt. Leslie said.
Police say the area is not a high crash zone and could not confirm if weather, driver’s health, or speed played a role in the collision.
We're looking for witnesses from the #yyjtraffic crash today on the Gorge in #Saanich. https://t.co/l5YT0m2Dua pic.twitter.com/ZQRkuIzr7k
— Saanich Police (@SaanichPolice) October 18, 2017
Police tape surrounds the scene of a serious crash between a pedestrian and an SUV on Gorge Road West on Oct. 18.
Emergency crews respond to the collision between a pedestrian and a vehicle on Gorge Road West on Oct. 18.
Keith Vass
