In Memoriam

Most members of the Traffic Safety Commission know first-hand the devastation that fatal traffic crashes cause - to family, to friends, to others involved in the crash, even to the emergency services personnel who must deal with the aftermath.

This section will serve as a memorial to those who, each year, lose their lives in traffic crashes. We hope it will also serve as a reminder to those who read it of how quick and how easy it is to become a statistic on this page. And as we continue to record and memorialize the deaths in ensuing years, we hope it may also show region-wide trends in traffic fatalities that may help the Commission and its member agencies find ways to reduce the toll.

2004

November 1 - A 59-year-old man was killed in an unusual crash on the Trans Canada Highway near Goldstream Park. The man was the driver and sole occupant of a pickup truck. Also driving northward on the highway in heavy rain and storms was an empty flatbed semi-trailer. The flatbed began to fishtail on the road, striking several vehicles, among them the victim's pickup.

October 26 - A motorcyclist in his 30s was killed instantly in a crash on Saltspring Island. The man was driving on the main road between Fulford Harbour and Ganges when he apparently lost control of his bike and crossed the centre line. As he skidded down the wrong side of the road, he was struck by a vehicle coming in the opposite direction.

October 14 - A 51-year-old Victoria man died in hospital of injuries suffered when he was struck by a transit bus on Sept. 29. Witnesses reported the man had been seen staggering, possibly unwell, in the area before he collided with the bus.

October 3 - A 62-year-old man was killed when the motorized scooter he was driving collided with a vehicle at the intersection of Blanshard and Ravine Way in Saanich. The other vehicle was driven by an elderly woman who later turned herself in to police.

September 22 - An 82-year-old woman died after the car in which she was a passenger was T-boned by another vehicle on Cloverdale at Seymour Place in Saanich. The car in which the woman was riding was turning left when it was hit by the other vehicle. The woman's 85-year-old husband was seriously injured in the crash. The driver of the other car, a 38-year-old man, was charged with impaired driving following the collision. Police believe speed was also a contributing factor in the crash.

July 6 - A bicyclist in his 20s was killed when he rode into the side of a minivan as he came down West Saanich Road about 4:30 p.m. The man was riding rapidly downhill on West Saanich when he hit the mini van that was turning left into Wallace Drive. He was wearing a helmet and racing gear, but it was not enough protect to allow him to survive.

A nine-year-old girl died in hospital, three weeks after being critically injured in a crash on the Malahat Highway. The girl had been a passenger in the family vehicle on June 13 when the vehicle developed mechanical problems and eventually stalled on the roadway on the way up the Malahat. The vehicle was then rear-ended as it sat on the highway, and it burst into flames. Passersby pulled the family members out, but the girl succumbed to her injuries.

A 22-year-old man died in a single-car crash on Millstream Road north of the Trans Canada Highway. The man was a passenger in a vehicle when the driver lost control and hit a power pole. Speed and impairment were believed to be factors, and the driver was charged with dangerous driving causing death.

June 21 - An 18-year-old Sooke youth, driving with a learner's licence, died in a single-car crash about five kilometres west of Jordan River. The car left West Coast Road and crashed sideways into a tree, shortly after rounding a gentle curve. Driver inexperience and unsafe speed are believed to have been contributing factors.

June 12 - A Metchosin man was killed when his motorcycle skidded off Metchosin Road, near Chapel Heights Drive. The motorcycle ended up going down an embankment and crashing into a number of rocks and trees. Wet weather was believed to have contributed to the crash.

June 4 - A 24-year-old driver died in a single-car crash on West Coast Road between Sooke and Jordan River. The man was alone in the car when he apparently lost control and the car left the road and went down an embankment at about 3:40am. RCMP believe alcohol was a cause of the crash.

June 1 - A 63-year-old man died two weeks after being hit by a vehicle while crossing North Dairy Road in Saanich. The man had just gotten out of a taxi and was crossing the street to reach his home, when he was hit by the car. The driver originally fled the scene, but a few hours later turned himself in to police. He is facing criminal charges.

May 23 - A 29-year-old man died at the conclusion of a police chase involving the motorcycle he was riding. The man was a suspect in a break-and-enter at a Vic West restaurant, where witnesses had given police a good description of the motorcycle and the clothing the motorcyclist was wearing. About half an hour later, police spotted someone matching the description and gave chase, but the motorcyclist refused to stop for the officers. A chase ensued for about two minutes, ending on Tillicum Road. The motorcyclist turned onto Vincent Avenue, but lost control of the vehicle. He was thrown from the motorcycle directly into the path of the following police car, which could not stop in time to avoid running over him, causing fatal injuries.

April 28 - A 94-year-old man was killed when his motorized scooter was hit by a car while he was trying to cross the Pat Bay Highway. The man was apparently going against the red light at the intersection of the Pat Bay and Beacon Avenue in Sidney when he was struck by a southbound car which had the green light.

March 2 - An 87-year-old male pedestrian was killed while trying to cross a busy stretch of Sooke Road near Colwood Crescent. The man was not in a marked crosswalk when he was hit. Marked crosswalks in the area are placed at some distance from each other, although the stretch of road has not been known as a dangerous area. The man was fatally injured when struck by a car heading towards Sooke.

February 6 - An 80-year-old woman died when her car was struck as she tried to make a left-hand turn from Alpha Street onto Burnside Road in Victoria. The woman's vehicle took the full impact of the crash on the driver's door, and she suffered fatal injuries.

January 20 - A 32-year-old man died when the car he was driving left the road on a winding section of Saanich Road about 1:45 a.m. The car struck a tree and the driver, who was the lone occupant of the vehicle, suffered fatal injuries.

2002 In Memoriam
2003 In Memoriam