A 17-year-old boy is in critical condition after he was struck by a vehicle in a Nanaimo crosswalk yesterday afternoon.
According to the Nanaimo RCMP, the incident happened when the teen was walking through a crosswalk at the intersection of Hammond Bay Road, Brigantine Drive and Ventura Drive at about 3:15 p.m.
The youth was transported to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital with life-threatening injuries. He was later airlifted to hospital in Victoria, where he remains in critical condition.
RELATED: Pedestrian struck along Hammond Bay Road taken to hospital in Victoria
Nanaimo RCMP, City of Nanaimo Fire and Rescue, and B.C. Ambulance Service attended to the scene.
According to police, based on witness accounts of the incident, the teen stepped into the crosswalk and was proceeding southbound across Hammond Bay Road when he was struck by the vehicle.
The 33-year-old driver of a newer-model Toyota RAV4 remained at the scene and co-operated with investigators. The vehicle involved was seized and will be undergoing a mechanical inspection, police said.
The Nanaimo RCMP Municipal Traffic Unit is overseeing the investigation and will be exploring all factors involved in the collision.
Because the boy is a Nanaimo school district student, school officials have been notified and extra grief counsellors will be in place at the school the youth attends and throughout the district to assist and comfort any students and staff who have been impacted by the incident. Nanaimo RCMP School Liaison Unit are actively engaged with the investigation.
Anyone witnessed the collision or motorists who have dash cam footage are asked to contact Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345.
