A motorcyclist died in a three-vehicle crash on Nanaimo Parkway last night, directly across the highway from a brush fire.
Nanaimo RCMP Const. Gary O’Brien said a young adult male motorcyclist was travelling southbound north of Mostar Road when he collided with the back of an SUV, took a spill, and then was struck by another vehicle. The motorcyclist died at the scene.
The fire was on the side of the parkway northbound.
“What it was, was people were simply slowing down to watch the fire. We firmly believe this is one of the causative factors as to why the accident happened, because the vehicle traffic was slowed,” O’Brien said. “Having said that, everybody has responsibility for their own vehicle and motorcycle.”
O’Brien said drugs and alcohol have been ruled out, but “we are certainly looking at speed and driver inattentiveness.”
Victim Services is also involved.
The motorcylist who was killed was not from Nanaimo.
The accident happened at about 10:05 p.m. Friday. The southbound section of the Nanaimo Parkway between Aulds Road and Mostar Road was shut down until approximately 4:30 a.m., with traffic detoured at Aulds. Northbound lanes of the parkway were closed for more than an hour.
At the scene of an accident on the parkway north of Mostar Road. The parkway is totally closed in both directions right now. #Nanaimo pic.twitter.com/8l87ROBf6w
— Nanaimo Bulletin (@NanaimoBulletin) July 14, 2018
There was a fire on the side of the parkway northbound and the accident happened at the same time in the southbound lanes. Parkway remains closed in both directions just north of Mostar. #Nanaimo pic.twitter.com/KW9OaH65QE
— Nanaimo Bulletin (@NanaimoBulletin) July 14, 2018
