Police are urging drivers to watch for motorcycles after a collision in Chemainus on Wednesday claimed the life of a 58-year-old motorcyclist — the second fatal motorcycle crash on the Island this week.
North Cowichan-Duncan RCMP responded to the crash just before 6 p.m. at the intersection of Chemainus Road and Cook Street in Chemainus.
Police said initial evidence indicates the motorcyclist was travelling northbound on Chemainus Road approaching Cook Street when a southbound SUV failed to yield when turning left onto Cook Street.
The motorcyclist was taken to hospital and airlifted to a trauma centre, but died of his injuries.
Police continue to investigate the collision. Anyone with information is asked to contact the North Cowichan-Duncan RCMP at 250-548-5522.
We can’t urge enough the need for road users to be aware of their surroundings, especially during summer time when there is a high increase of motorcycles on our roads,
said Cpl Alex Bérubé, spokesperson for the B.C. RCMP.
On Tuesday, a 29-year-old man died in a crash about 9:15 p.m. on Comox Logging Road near where the road crosses the Island Highway.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation is ongoing, but Comox Valley RCMP said speed might have been a factor.
Anyone with information on that crash is asked to contact Comox Valley RCMP at 250-338-1321.
The RCMP are asking drivers to scan intersections carefully, look for motorcycles when turning left, allow at least three or four seconds of following distance when behind a motorcycle and plenty of lane space when passing, and be ready to yield, as it can be hard to tell how fast motorcycles are travelling.
The death in Chemainus is at least the third motorcyclist death on the Island this year.
In June, a motorcyclist was killed in a collision with a pickup truck in Nanaimo.
