A 48-year-old Nanaimo man died while off-roading with friends on the weekend.
The mishap occurred Saturday night while he was riding quads with two friends on the B.C. Hydro service road near Nanaimo Lakes and South Forks roads. Police report the man raced ahead and was briefly out of sight before one of his friends saw headlights shining up into some trees and found the victim lying in some bushes and his ATV in a ditch.
His friends called 911. Nanaimo RCMP, Nanaimo Fire Rescue and B.C. Ambulance attended and rushed him to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital where he died of his injuries.
It initially appeared the victim had lost control of the machine and collided with trees, but when friends returned to the crash site Sunday they found a dead deer nearby. Police now believe the victim was unable to avoid striking the animal and the collision propelled the ATV into the air and into the trees.
The victim was wearing a helmet. His family have been notified. Police have not released the victim’s name and the case has been turned over the B.C. Coroner’s Service.
This is the second incident in two weeks in which a Nanaimo resident has died in an off-road accident.
Mark Lionel John Arsenault, 55, of Nanaimo, was riding a dirt bike on a logging road near Nanoose Bay when he lost control of the bike and crashed March 17.