Nobody was injured after a pickup truck lost control on Alder Street on Friday morning, knocking down a tree and damaging a house.
“I just arrived on scene (and) the truck was smashed into the house,” said Chris Mcnichol, a driver with Coastline Towing, as he prepared to tow a Ford Ranger with damage on the front driver’s side.
The pickup appears to have veered off the road and over a low embankment, travelling perhaps 30-40 feet before it struck a cedar tree roughly 15 feet high outside the house at 281 Alder St.
The tree was uprooted and appears to have scraped across an exterior wall, damaging the stucco and vinyl siding. Drywall was also damaged, said homeowner Dale Proteau, who heard about the incident while he was at work.
“The manager comes up to me and says, ‘We got a call from the police. Somebody hit your house, you need to go,” Proteau said.
Thomas Doherty, chief of the Campbell River Fire Department, said firefighters were dispatched at 10:10 a.m. for a report of a vehicle striking a house.
Shannon Miller, a spokesperson for the BC Emergency Health Services, said that paramedics were on-scene within six minutes of the emergency call. No patient was transported, she said.
Campbell River RCMP spokesperson Maury Tyre said “the accident was believed to be caused by driver error,” adding that “alcohol and drugs were not a factor in the incident.”
Proteau said the driver was a young man who appeared to be in his early 20s.
READ MORE: Alcohol and speed believed to be factors in collision on Island Highway
READ MORE: Driver lost consciousness before crash on Island Highway that caused gas leak
The driver wasn’t injured and he apologized, saying he miscalculated a turn, Proteau said, adding that “he’ll never forget it, and he’ll never do it again.”
“Nobody got hurt, nobody got killed, the house can be fixed,” Proteau said.
The sole occupant at the time was Proteau’s cat, Tucker, who appeared unshaken by the incident.
A pickup truck appears to have lost control and smashed into a tree outside a home in Campbell River today. More to come. pic.twitter.com/eSoZIMbLYt
— David Gordon Koch (@davidgordonkoch) June 14, 2019
This story was updated on Monday, June 17, to include information from the RCMP.
@davidgordonkoch
david.koch@campbellrivermirror.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
