Updated at noon on Thursday, November 24: A woman was flown to Vancouver Tuesday evening after she was hit by a Powell River transit bus at the corner of Joyce Avenue and Alberni Street.
The accident happened at 6:20 pm on November 22. The bus was travelling west down Alberni and turning left onto Joyce. The pedestrian, a 30-year-old female, was crossing Joyce when she was struck by the bus, according to Powell River RCMP.
Rob Southcott, BC Ambulance Service Powell River unit chief, attended the accident. "The fire department did a very quick job of lifting the bus," he said. "She was pinned underneath it, but not entangled. She was under the middle part of the bus.”
The woman was conscious, Southcott added, and had a head injury. “She was taken quickly to Powell River General Hospital,” he said. “She was treated and airvac’ed to Vancouver. Her injuries appeared stable.”
Terry Peters, Powell River Fire Rescue deputy chief, said the weather conditions at the time were “quite atrocious. There was a full downpour.”
Firefighters used a special piece of equipment to lift the bus up in order to extricate the woman. “All the emergency services worked together and we successfully removed the lady from under the bus,” he said. “From all accounts, she is doing well.”
Joanna Morton, BC Transit spokesperson, said the incident is under investigation. “The RCMP did attend the scene and no charges were laid at that time,” she said. “In terms of what exactly happened, BC Transit is conducting their own internal investigation and the results have not been released yet.”
Powell River RCMP are also investigating the incident, said Constable Chris Bakker.
The RCMP are looking for witnesses and anyone else who may have any information about the incident. Anyone who can provide further information is asked to contact the Powell River RCMP at 604.485.6255.
