A motor vehicle accident late afternoon on Friday, March 31, has resulted in one fatality, according to Powell River RCMP.
The two-vehicle collision, which took place at Highway 101 and McLean Road, involved a grey jeep and a flatbed tow truck owned by Chesney Towing.
The jeep's passenger, 58-year-old Powell River area resident Rosemary Angela Bryant, was rushed to Powell River General Hospital and transported by air ambulance to Vancouver General Hospital where she was later pronounced deceased.
The driver of the jeep, a 53-year-old male, sustained injuries in the crash and was released from local hospital Friday evening. The tow truck driver, a 57-year-old male, did not go to hospital.
According to RCMP sergeant Kevin Day, the jeep turned left off of the highway in front of the oncoming truck and was struck on the passenger side.
"Based on eyewitness accounts, the flatbed was unable to stop in time," said Day. "According to the driver, he was driving northbound on the highway, the jeep turned in front of him, and he was unable to stop."
Lund area resident Jessica Jennings said she and her fiancée were driving directly behind the jeep when they saw it turn in front of the truck.
"We thought the jeep was going to stop for the truck, but it didn't," said Jennings. "The tow truck driver just had no time to stop."
Jennings said they rushed over to the jeep and found the driver conscious and the passenger unconscious. The jeep had spun 360 degrees, hit a telephone pole and was pinned against it by the following tow truck, she said.
"It was a horrific crash," said Jennings. "I'll never get that sound of the metal and brakes out of my head, and just the image of the jeep doing a 360 and hitting the ditch."
BC Ambulance Service paramedics were on the scene approximately 10 minutes after the crash, according to nearby business owner Rachel Snyder.
"The response time was exceptional for being where we are located south of town," said Snyder. "You see the best of your community when something horrible like this happens."
RCMP collision analysts from Vancouver Island have attended the scene since the crash and local police continue to investigate. Day said police have ruled out alcohol as a factor in the crash.
