A Port Alberni resident, who was one of the people at the scene of a fatal accident on Highway 4 near Little Qualicum Falls Regional Park Friday afternoon, remains shaken by what he saw.
Daniel Bridgman was on his way home to Port Alberni when he just drove past the crash at Koen Road, which claimed the life of an unidentified man. The BC Coroners Service confirmed the investigation involved a man in his 70s.
“I was at the opposite side of the accident,” he said. “I pulled over just 30 seconds after it happened. I didn’t see it. I stopped and offered what ever help I could give. There was a couple inside a grey truck. They must have been 60 or 65.”
There were other motorists who stopped and he said they went to pull a man out of the truck, in a ditch. Bridgman said he helped bring the driver up to the road. He said he believed the woman was not injured.
“They tried to give him CPR and oxygen but he wasn’t responding,” Bridgman. “A bunch of us tried to save him but it was too late. It was just awful. I have never ever experienced anything like this.”
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The accident involved three vehicles, according to Bridgman.
When BC Ambulance arrived at the scene, Bridgman said the crews asked how long they’ve been applying CPR on the man.
“We told them maybe around five to seven minutes,” said Bridgman. “They weren’t able to to anything more and attended other victims.”
Oceanside RCMP Detachment were on-scene but no other information has been released. Island District RCMP spokeswoman Cpl. Tammy Douglas confirmed officers remain on the scene, reconstructing the crash.
Traffic was closed on Highway 4, in both directions and was expected to re-open at approximately 6 p.m.
—NEWS Staff
