The Sooke community is in mourning after the tragic loss of 15-year-old Nicolas Twiddy in a single-vehicle accident on April 9.
Around 10 a.m. the allegedly stolen vehicle Twiddy was riding in crashed into a power line sideways and flipped over into a ditch on West Coast Road near Park Isle Marine, narrowly missing an oncoming mobile home. The pole was severed in half from impact.
Grief from the youth community in Sooke was palpable. A memorial cross for Twiddy was recently erected at the site of the accident, and students from Edward Milne Community School were seen milling about school yards, embracing one another two days after his death.
“He was a really out going guy, he was really caring,” said EMCS student Duncan Morrison. “He listened to a lot of people’s problems, even when he had problems of his own.”
Richelle Howland, who had known Twiddy for four years, shared the same view.
“If he ever saw you upset, he’d push his problems out of the way to try to make you happy and to try to help you up,” she said. “He was one of the most giving people you will ever meet.”
Also inside the vehicle was a 15-year-old woman, and two 18-year-old men. The woman was air lifted to Victoria General Hospital from the scene around 11 a.m.
According to Staff Sgt. Steve Wright, the woman suffered from non-life threatening facial and internal injuries, and is expected to remain in intensive care for at least a week.
The two young men — one of whom was driving the vehicle — were taken to hospital via ambulance. Wright could not comment on the extent of their injuries, but said both were discharged on April 9.
The vehicle, a Chevrolet sedan, was allegedly stolen from Church Road around 3:30 a.m. and 5 a.m on the same day.
The driver, who is reportedly new to the area from Calgary, was released into police custody on April 9 after receiving treatment at Victoria General. He spent the night in a Sooke RCMP detachment cell, and was released the following day on the condition that he will appear in Western Communities provincial court on July 5.
Wright said police are recommending charges for possession of a stolen vehicle. The investigation is ongoing, said Wright.
He said the two passengers will not be charged as there is no indication they were aware the vehicle was stolen.
