A 28-year-old Langford woman was killed on Wednesday afternoon when her truck left Shawnigan Lake Road and collided with a tree.
Malahat fire chief Rob Paterson was the first responder on the scene shortly after 3 p.m., and found a black GMC pickup wrapped around a tree, about a kilometre west of the intersection with the Trans-Canada Highway. The truck had descended a large embankment after leaving the road.
“The damage was extensive,” he said. “It was pretty evident there wasn’t much to be done for the lone female occupant. It was a tough extrication; hard on the guys, and hard on the people who found her first. There were some public there, and they were pretty shaken.”
Although conditions at the time were rainy and windy, Paterson said the truck, a recent model, had “awesome tires,” and was in very good shape. Both he and the RCMP believe speed could be a factor in the collision.
“Judging from how violently the truck struck the tree, speed was probably involved,” Cpl. Greg Pask of the Shawnigan Lake RCMP said.
